Shokugeki no Sōma: After Years
by Yoonggi
Summary: Several years after their generation graduated, Soma Yukihira found himself torn. Widowed after his wife, Erina had passed away from childbirth, the young father must now balance his work and time and also possibly, a new love life for his daughter Etsuko Yukihira. [Formerly titled as: My Dearly Beloved] [Complete]
1. Prologue

**A:N/ Hello readers! This is the sequel to my other story – Bird In A Cage. Hope you guys like it! Anyway so just to tell you readers right off the bat, this is probably the last edit I will make for this story, this and chapters 2-15 would go into another phase of editing just to improve overall quality. Rate and review, thanks a bunch!**

 **Some things to remind you before reading (This is a significantly altered version of my previous beta-version of this story so please keep in mind that plenty of details and other things related to the previous story would be removed and forgotten)**

 **Legends:"Normal text" - Main characters talking/Characters whom would appear again later in the story.**

 **" _Italicized text"_ \- Minor characters talking/background chatter/from random people talking, conversing.**

 **[Bracket text] - this means that the person being spoken to is on the phone.**

 **"Bold Text" - This means that an announcer from speakers/television is talking.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Prologue

* * *

"Erina... I'm so fucking stupid... I miss you so much..." a certain young man whispered, whilst drinking whiskey at a bar.

Sōma sat on the counter of 7th heaven and continued to drink away his sorrows, tears of grief fell from his face as he played with a set of rings on his palm. A small band that tied himself to Erina when he swore his love for her in the alter three years ago.

The better years of his life, when his life wasn't this messed up - when his life was still together and not ripped apart. This day had happened like a series of flashes for Sōma. As normal as it might seem at first, something happened that would rock his world forever. The young man poured himself drink after drink, each glass that he downed being more bitter than the last. He wasn't a heavy drinker, but this occasion called for it. He felt so lost and broken without the love of his life.

Takumi entered the bar soon after. He scanned the room for any signs of his friend, eventually finding Sōma who was hunched over drinking his sorrows away. Takumi had a small frown on his face when he spotted Sōma silently crying as he dranked. His surrogate uncle tried to stop him, but the young man wouldn't listen to the older man's heed.

"- Yeah… I found Sōma… I'll meet up with you guys later, alright?" Takumi shut off his cellphone and walked towards his drunken friend, patting his hand over to Sōma's shoulder.

"That's enough, Yukihira… Let's go home, everybody's worried sick." said Takumi in a hushed voice. He wanted to be here for Sōma, but he wasn't ready to see the broken and vulnerable state of his friend. He frowned and tried to stop Sōma from further getting himself drunk. Yohan, Sōma's surrogate uncle, peered over his newspaper and put a hand on Sōma's shoulder to comfort the weeping young man. The elderly man understood the pain of losing a loved one. He he softened upon seeing the angered and hurt eyes that Sōma had upon him and Takumi.

 _"I think it's best that you listen to yer friend kiddo, you've had enough hooch..."_ he chided and tried to pry away the glass from Sōma's hand. Sōma angrily slammed his hands on the bar counter as he shoved Takumi away from him, gritting his teeth and looking hurt and broken through the welling tears of his eyes.

"Takumi… What the hell went wrong?"

"Please tell me… Why did… Why did Erina had to leave me like Mom…" Sōma's head and heart ached, but in his mind he deserved all this pain that he was feeling. All the guilt rebounded to him and it delivered to him a gut-wrenching punch to his stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He was regretting the fact that he chose to compete at B.L.U.E. Overseas instead of choosing to stay with his now-deceased wife.

Sōma drowned out the thoughts in his head and tried to resort to drinking to stave off the demons that haunted his mind. To no avail, Sōma replayed it in his head like a broken record. The voices he heard, the things he felt, the lifeless hand of Erina that he held as she let out her last breath.

He wept for days till his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He kept blaming himself for Erina's death. Sōma couldn't stop thinking about the scenarios that could've happen if he could've been there for Erina when she was about to go into labor. The trip to the hospital after landing back to Japan kept replaying back on his mind like a broken record.

"Maybe… Maybe if I stayed by her side she would've still been here…" he slurred again, trying to walk without Takumi's help. He shoved his friend aside and sobbed into his hands, falling onto his knees outside the bar.

Their friends didn't know the whereabouts of Sōma when they were told of Erina's passing. The last time he was spotted was in the hospital by the medical personnel. For three days Sōma squandered off hopping from bar to bar in the district, his father tried to contact him on his phone, but he wouldn't answer.

This wasn't the Sōma that Takumi knew - this was a broken man that gave up on life. Little did he know that Sōma wasn't only drinking. Takumi was shocked at the several cuts he saw on Sōma's forearm. He gasped when he saw some fresh wounds being left untreated. Sōma passed out on Takumi, managing to sling his arm over to his friend before he fell. Takumi carried his friend over to Yukihira. Megumi, Hisako and the others were currently there for the past three days when they received word that Sōma hadn't come home yet.

Takumi sent Isami a short text to notify them that he had finally found Sōma. Everyone was relieved when Takumi found Sōma, albeit in his drunken state. Takumi had found him on 7th Heaven when Yohan gave them a call, saying that his nephew was currently drinking there. Takumi wasted no time heading over to the bar to find his friend. For three days, Takumi kept searching through places that Sōma could've possibly went through. He searched throughout neighboring districts as well as calling their other friends to ask if Sōma had dropped by.

"It's not your fucking fault! Stop pinning the blame onto yourself, Yukihira!" Takumi groaned in frustration when Sōma kept muttering his words of regret. Sōma shook his head and kept arguing that it was all his fault. Sōma staggered from all the alcohol that he'd been drinking for the past three days.

"You don't understand… If only I made it in time… Maybe she wouldn't have died…" Sōma whispered, choking back on his tears. Takumi knelt beside his friend and wrapped his arms around him.

"It's not your fault." Takumi reassured Sōma. He led his best friend towards the public restroom nearby when Sōma felt the urge to puke. Takumi also made sure to buy some band-aids while they were there. Thankfully a nearby shop carried them. He gingerly applied the band-aids on Sōma and saw the look of exhaustion in his best friend's eyes.

"Takumi... I'm a horrible husband and father... Why did I leave my wife to go overseas for that stupid competition…" Sōma's hands were buried on his face, trying to hide his shame. Takumi interrupted his friend and put a hand on Sōma's head.

"No you're not Yukihira-"

"Bullshit." Sōma interjected.

"We all make mistakes. You didn't do it because you wanted to leave her. Didn't you say that it was so that you can buy a new house for the three of you when your daughter is born? What happened to that Sōma? You can't just keep on disappearing like this and leaving your baby daughter alone, how afraid do you think she was when she woke up and didn't find her Dad beside her?" Takumi explained. He was the voice of reason that Sōma needed right now. The same voice of reason that reassured Sōma that everything will be fine.

Sōma rose to his feet, nodding silently at Takumi. He couldn't hold it back any longer as he sobbed onto his best friend's shoulder. He cried his heart out, he cried and let out the bottled up pain that he felt.

'I'm so sorry…' Sōma thought from the back of his mind. He was silent throughout his walk home with Takumi. The young man recounted again what had happened three days ago.

* * *

*Flashback*

"You're going?" Erina asked. She was currently nine months pregnant at the time and was due any day now. The Nakiri heiress looked at her husband in concern and wrapped her arm around his torso. She met his eye and frowned. Erina didn't want Sōma to leave. She wants to tell him that, but she couldn't. Because Sōma was at the top of his league, he was going to become worldly renowned if he succeeds on bringing home the title of Champion.

"I know that you're silently wishing for me not to go... But I want to do this for the three of us..." he whispered to Erina. Sōma hugged her from behind and kissed her on her ticklish spots. He then puts a hand on Erina's swollen belly and smiles in excitement. He caressed her and their soon to be born baby. Sōma looked at Erina with a small frown on his face, seeing her pout and frown made his heart ache.

'Do I really need to leave…' he doubted himself.

"We don't need a new house... I'm fine on where we are now... Couldn't you just stay...?"

"For the baby and me?" she mumbled, trying to convince her husband to stay. He saw Erina trying to hide that she was crying. Sōma immediately dropped his suitcase and wiped away some stray tears that were falling down on Erina's face. Sōma smiles at Erina, kissing her playfully on the cheek before wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"Hey... It's going to be fine, I'll be back in a few days okay?" he reassured his wife with his signature grin. Erina nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing Sōma square in his mouth. It was a sweet kiss that tried to make Sōma stay. He was frozen in his place trying to decide if he would still leave for America.

"Just be back soon okay?" she sobbed onto his shoulder, hugging her husband. Sōma chuckled and patted her in the back gently. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a short peck on the lips before looking deep into her eyes.

"Honey, I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said. It was all the assurance that Erina needed. She placed her trust on him and let him leave for America the next morning.

A part of Erina heart flew to America that day. It left her sad, but Erina had to remain strong. Hisako and her other girl friends kept her company while the guys were the ones that pitched in to help Sōma getting to the airport. They skyped over several times a day while Sōma was on his trip, hearing his voice made her happy and gave her assurance that he would be there when she would go on into labor.

[Honey, guess what?]

"What is it?"

[I'll be using 'that' dish we made together in the competition.]

"You are?"

[Yeah! I'm practicing it right now actually, I'll call you back again in a bit, love you Honey!]

"I love you too… You irresistible idiot…"

The day of the competition came and they were all gathered in Alice's vacation house. They all sat around the television and watched Sōma compete against world elite chefs. Many notable chefs were panel judges of the competition.

Each individual chef was put into the test and battled each other to prove who would bring home the title of Champion. The panel of, chefs Gordon Ramsey, Gottfried Prantl, Jason Aetherton and Heston Blumenthal were all present and stood atop of their individual podiums.

The pressure was on everyone but Sōma. They could feel the air around them thicken as the clock started. Sōma remained calmed through it all and when it came to the last leg of the competition, he was the only one smiling as he raised his hand in confidence.

'A dish that speaks to the heart…' he fondly thought of Erina with a smile on his face while he carried the plates towards the judges. Sōma gave them a curt bow before returning to his work station.

The judging of the food took roughly an hour. Each chef had put out their best dishes and it was enough to baffle each world class chef to the point of confusion. Every dish had their heavy hitting points.

They eventually reached a conclusion and decided on a winner after a grueling phase.

 **"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THE COVETED B.L.U.E. CHALLENGE! FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN THE BLAZING ASURA OF THE CULINARY WORLD, SŌMA YUKIHIRA!"**

Sōma's friends that were watching swelled with pride. Erina had a small smile on her face as she tried to hide away the blush that she had when she saw Sōma shaking hands with the most elite of chefs. Gordon Ramsey and Heston Blumenthal were the first to present him the award next to the two were Gottfried Prantl and Jason Aetherton who shook hands with Sōma; taking pictures with the young man.

"You did it… I'm so proud of you, you idiot…" Erina whispered. They all celebrated while Sōma was quick on his interviews. When finally asked who to thank, Sōma took a deep breath before took the microphone from the interviewer. A huge smile was plastered across Sōma's face.

'I can finally go home now…' was all that ran through his mind. He can finally go home to his wife and soon to be baby. He couldn't be any more proud with this huge achievement.

 **"First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife and my friends back at home for supporting me in this journey. I couldn't have done it without their support. I love my wife so much and I miss her terribly. I'll be going back to Japan later. I know it's a bit too soon, but being away from my wife these past few days was already hard enough as it is. Erina! We did it!"** He finished the interview and gave the cameraman a wink and a grin. Erina blushed deep red while Takumi and the others sighed in embarrassment.

"Remind me again why your husband can't act decently? Goodness gracious, thousands of people saw that!" Takumi exclaimed. Isami laughed at his brother and nudged him with his elbow, looking at Takumi with a smirk on his face.

"You're just jealous because he made it and you didn't..." Isami snidely remarked. All of the life seemed to have drained on Takumi's face as he withered away on the floor. He lightly banged his head on the wall by a corner and sighed in disappointment. Megumi saw her boyfriend sulking and went over to Isami, lightly slapping his shoulder with a pout on her face.

"That wasn't nice Isami-kun, you better apologize later okay?" she said seriously before going over to her boyfriend who was sulking in a corner. Ikumi went over to kiss Isami on the cheek, looking at him with a small frown on her face.

"She's right. You really hurt Takumi's feelings you know?" she worriedly glanced back at Takumi. Isami laughed nervously and nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around Ikumi's waist before kissing her on the lips.

"Yeah... That was pretty dick-ish move on my part... He probably won't talk to me until tomorrow, but I'll take my chances." he replied before going over to his brother to apologize. Ryō saw Alice and Erina skyping with Sōma. He overheard the two women reminding his friend that he would miss his flight if he didn't hurry up. Sōma bolted out of the building and got his suitcase, ready to leave for Japan.

*End of Flashback*

* * *

It was a pretty short trip when Sōma and Takumi went back to Yukihira. Right in front of his house, Sōma already saw Terunori on the phone looking pissed as hell. The shorter man ran a hand through his hair in frustration when he saw Sōma's drunken state. Sōma gulped when Terunori started running towards him spouting something with his fist cocked back. Sōma braced for impact, feeling the punch from Terunori as the shorter man landed a clean hit on his cheek.

"YOU DUMBASS! YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU FUCKING AROUND FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS?!" Sōma hung his head low in shame at the smaller man. Takumi and the others broke up the scuffle between them.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you guys…" he replied while rubbing his now-sore cheek. Hisako and Megumi saw the commotion noticed Terunori wiping off some stray tears on his face. Hisako walked over to him and slapped Terunori on the back of his head. A stern look bore into Terunori's frightened state.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Terunori hissed in pain. Takumi went over to his girlfriend and hugged her. Megumi kept asking him on for details, but Takumi kept quiet and told her that it was all fine now.

"Takumi-kun? Why won't you tell me?" Megumi asked with a frown on her face. Takumi shook his head and buried his head onto the crook of her neck before mumbling something.

"Can't tell… Boy's only secret…" Takumi argued childishly, earning him a small giggle from his girlfriend.

Terunori was still hunched over on the asphalt as he was annoyed at Hisako for continuing to berate and scold him for punching Sōma.

"You apologize to him later, alright?" Megumi told Terunori who nodded silently as she went inside Yukihira. Hisako and Takumi followed them soon after, shaking their heads in exasperation.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Yukihira?" Hisako muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt heavy from the three day all-nighters that they pulled to find Sōma. She joined Takumi inside Yukihira, giving her friend a weak smile.

"Where's Etsuko...?" Sōma asked them as he got inside his house. He saw Ryō leaning onto a corner with a look of worry on his face.

"What the fuck were you doing man?" Ryō said, seeing the numerous cuts that Sōma had on his arm - a sign of self-harm. It concerned them all. Hisako taught Ryō what to do, being tired herself after being so deprived of sleep for the past three days.

"Come on let's get you fixed up..." Ryō was usually passive and only violent whenever he would tie his bandanna around his head. This time was different however, without his bandanna he was still pissed at Sōma. Ryō was scolding Sōma while he was applying ointment and gauze on Sōma's arm.

"What the hell have you been doing, Yukihira…" Ryō frowned after fixing up his friend.

"Thanks... I'm sorry for making you guys worry so much..." he apologized walking past his friend to see Isami and Ikumi sighing in exasperation upon seeing him in his banged-up state.

"Yukihira! What the hell happened to you?!" Isami exclaimed seeing the fresh roll of gauze that Sōma had on his arm. Sōma laughed nervously at the two and explained the things that he was doing for the past three days. Everyone was more worried at his current state, feeling sorry for their friend.

"I'll see Etsuko now... I'll catch up to you guys later okay?" he said tiredly, walking upstairs to see Alice tending to Etsuko while the baby slept peacefully in her arms. She gasped upon seeing her friend's state and ran over to hug him after gently tucking in Etsuko.

"Where were you!? The nurses said that you disappeared suddenly after calling your Dad! Do you know how worried we were?! We asked around for three days Sōma! Three days! Didn't you even want to be bothered? What about Etsuko? She misses you too you know..." she whispered onto him, hugging him tighter and crying in concern. Sōma gently patted her on her small back and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I have plenty of things in my mind right now... It's all jumbled up and... and... It's just so confusing... I'm so sorry for making you all so worried about me... I just... I couldn't handle it all and just wanted the pain to disappear..." he said honestly, rubbing his arm, wincing when he realized that it was his bandaged up arm.

"Well I'm just glad that you're here now... Hey... Chin up alright? Erina wouldn't want to see you crying like this... You have to remain stronger from now on, okay Sōma? We're all here for you when you need us..." Alice reassured to him stepping aside to let Sōma see Etsuko again.

The young woman quietly left the room and saw Ryō leaning near the doorway with his arms crossed. Alice immediately went over to her boyfriend to hug him.

"Did you tell him that the funeral is in the day after tomorrow?" asked Ryō, Alice shook her head and sighed.

"It's better if we tell him tomorrow... It's better if he can get some quiet time first…" Ryō spoke with pained expression on his face. Alice agreed that it was for the best.

Sōma changed out of his clothes and plopped down on his bed, fishing out his and Erina's wedding rings. He'd received them from the hospital after being told of her passing, that night he ran away after signing Etsuko's birth certificate. It was only supposed to be a short walk, but soon enough he found his legs carrying him far away from the hospital and his daughter.

'You're really late…' Erina's voice rang through his head, her pained words as he felt that her sickness taking a toll on her after giving birth to Etsuko.

"Please... Take away all this pain in here..." he whispered to himself, running over his chest and clutching his aching heart to trying to hold back his tears.

* * *

*Dream sequence*

 _White walls…_

 _A Cold atmosphere…_

 _A very bright hot light…_

 _Pain…_

 _Screaming …_

 _And then…_

 _Death is already knocking on the door…_

Sōma came into the room as a bright light that only one person could see. Erina rested weakly, panting and gasping for the life she clings onto. She fought the battle, she fought to see it through, she fought through the immense pain, she fought through her sickness to deliver their precious child that was in her arms, Etsuko Yukihira.

It was a tender moment of love between the husband and wife. Erina gently held onto their child, fading fast by the second and feeling the fatigue finally taking its toll onto her frail body. Its eye's still closed; its cry had been satiated when its mother lulled the child to sleep.

"You're really late..." Erina coughed, Sōma buried his head onto the crook of her shoulder and apologized with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry..." his heart felt an icy pang stabbing through his chest when he saw Erina's pale complexion.

'Not a good sign…' he winced, remembering that Erina's already fragile body was going through a lot of pain and stress after giving birth.

She was already handling with heart disease, in their earlier months of screening the doctors had already told about them the risks of childbirth. It would be too much for Erina to handle, but she fought on and proved them wrong.

Sōma's heart was ripped to shreds when he saw her so weak and her breath becoming shallower. He held close the baby girl in his arms and then gently placed her back down onto Erina for her to hold. She smiled faintly and ran a weak hand over her daughter's cheek, lightly pecking her on the temple.

"Sōma… Etsuko… I love you both…" he heard Erina say with a smile on her face before passing out. He gasped and looked at his wife and then his heart stopped; there were grey bags under her eyes and she was also slowly breathing. Her vitals were dropping and more doctors came rushing in at their aid. He didn't care for the tiredness he felt, all that he wanted was for Erina to live.

Frantically circling around the room Sōma clutched his hands and tensed up.

"Sir I need you to please remain calm and let us professionals handle this… I will have to ask you to step outside sir, we will be performing resuscitation to your wife immediately." he heard a nurse say with her worried eyes looking over to Erina. He grabbed her by the shoulders with tears in his eyes.

"PLEASE DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN!" he cried in agony and begged the doctors to save Erina's life. It took two doctors before they could pry Sōma off the operating room. Etsuko had been placed on the incubator along with the other babies while Sōma sat on the waiting room with his head hung low.

'This is all my fucking fault…' he screamed into his mind, banging the walls deep within his consciousness in a fit of rage and desperation.

"I don't want to lose you…" he muttered, remembering the similar pain that he felt when his mother was on her death bead.

 _There he remained still, praying and pleading…_

Sōma was begging to whatever deity was listening that Erina would be all right, that she would live.

 _He silently prayed under his breath …_

 _His hands clasped against each other…_

 _And his eyes barred shut…_

 _His throat feeling raw and barren…_

At the operating room Erina lay unconscious, her face sprawled in a sweaty mess, her breath no longer recognizable. Numerous life support apparatuses were attached to her so that the doctors could monitor her vitals.

 _Warm…_

 _This sensation…_

 _This feeling of comfort…_

 _This painless release..._

"You'll be alright my dear..." Death reassured Erina, feeling the sorrows of the young woman on her deathbed. In Erina's subconsciousness she was still fighting to remain alive. She wanted to see the two loves of her life before she leaves.

 _She clung on to that light in front of her…_

 _The light holding her hand right now…_

 _The warmth…_

 _It irked her to close her eyes, but all she could do is keep them open…_

"It's time to go…" Death reminded her. Erina muffled her last words as it drowned amidst the multitude of doctors rushing in. She felt a strong surge on her chest, but to no avail, another surge and still she faded fast.

It was at this moment that Death conjured up something from his hands. Letting her watch her own life's stopwatch, Erina requested deep within her subconsciousness that he would listen to her pleas.

"One… Last time… Please… Let me say goodbye to them…" she pleaded, Death obliged to her wishes, and suddenly she was transported out of the operating room and back to her bed at Yukihira's, there she saw Them. A father holding his daughter in his arms protectively while the two dozed off, she reached over to embrace the two. It might have been a dream, but this was enough to let her soul find peace.

 _For the last time…_

 _For the inevitable moment has come…_

 _Death had come for her…_

 _And death had given her the bitter sweet ending of her part on their small family…_

 _One last chaste kiss onto them…_

 _One last hug goodbye…_

"I love you both… Please… Stay strong without me. Etsuko… I love you and your father… Please don't hate him or give him a hard time… I wish we could've met more… Played more… And I wish I could've taught you how to cook."

"I love you both so much... Sōma... I hope you can forgive yourself... Please don't blame yourself it wasn't your fault... I would've given my life to bring Etsuko to this world... You are my best adventure... My bestfriend... Most of all... You both are my most dearly beloved half in this world..."

The room faded as Erina saw her memories happily flashing by her. Each adventure that Erina had with Sōma throughout their high school days flashed by, their hardships and fun moments that happened all throughout her years, it was like a film that played and at the very last memory she saw her and Sōma sleeping peacefully on their bed as her husband kissed her belly and kissed her on the forehead with a small smile of content in his face.

 _A perfect last memory..._

*End of dream sequence*

* * *

"Erina!" Sōma shouted as he bolted awake. He looked around wildly in his room with cold sweat falling on his face.

He remembered 'that' dream again. He remembered rushing over at the hospital after the competition. Once he heard that Erina was about to go into labor he wasted no time hollering a cab to get to the hospital as soon as he can. He remembered that day like the back of his hand, all the smiles that they had soon turned into sobs when they were told that Erina passed away.

"Liar... You said you won't ever leave me like Mom did..." he held his hand over to his heart and cried to sleep. It was a bitter night for Sōma. He deeply sighed when he could no longer cry. He scurried over to the shelves of their room and got Erina's plush toy that they both won back in their school days, he held it closer to him and breathed in her scent.

"Please... Make the pain go away..." he muttered before falling back to sleep.

'I will my love... I love you... Don't ever forget.' he heard Erina's faint voice say in the back of his mind. Sōma fell asleep with a small smile on his face. He felt lighter by the assurance of Erina's voice.

"Please don't leave me…" he mumbled in his sleep.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ So this is probably the last edit for the story, I wanted to polish up this fic. more so more people would see the effort the I put into it. Hope you guys loved the first chapter of the story, be sure to follow me and do a review, it really helps the other readers in seeing the quality of my work.**

 **P.S: I'm also editing to patch-up some things that you guys have pointed out to me over the last few months, hope this helps you understand the story as clear as day after I'm done.**

 **P.P.S: Leave a review if you can!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A:N/ Hey there, so this is the 1** **st** **official chapter of this fic. after the prologue I mean. Anywho, hope you guys like this edit of the second chapter, please feel free to message me with suggestions whenever you feel like they could help in the progress of the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Rainy Skies

* * *

 _The day of Erina's funeral…_

Heavy rain poured outside on a cold morning. It was heard rattling the roof of Yukihira, the sound of the rain droplets pelting and making continued noises. Its endless pounding onto the roof woke the red-haired young man up. Sōma groaned and shuffled around the bed when he was woken up by the clattering on their roof. Etsuko, his little bundle of joy was sleeping soundly amidst the noise outside. He grimaced and stretched out his sore limbs, standing up to take in the musky smell of rain.

"Petrichor..." he muttered under his breath, reaching out to feel the rain droplets that poured down onto his outstretched hand. He heard a knock from the door, the eerie comforting silence that was masked by the rain's noise was disrupted by the rapping behind the door. The poor baby Etsuko woke up from her peaceful slumber and cried. Sōma quickly tended to the baby before he would open the door.

"Oh my goodness... Sorry Etsuko..." he apologized to his baby daughter, cradling the small girl in his arms and gently rocking her back to sleep before opening the door. He saw Ryō with a suit on and had another suit slung over his shoulders. The raven-haired chef glanced at him and bowed his head curtly in apology for waking up Etsuko. Sōma smiled and said that it was alright letting him inside his room for a chat.

"Do you think you can handle yourself today?" Ryō simply asked, sitting on a chair nearby the windowsill. Sōma had a sad smile and nodded his head, setting down the now-sleeping baby from his arms. He gently tucked his daughter back in her small cot and sat beside his friend.

"I already said my goodbye's yesterday when I visited. I just wished that she wouldn't have been gone this soon…" Sōma chuckled quietly burying his hands on his face as he felt tears streaming down his face. Ryō walked over to him to give a reassuring pat on the shoulders.

"Here. Get changed, everyone's already in the funeral, it'll begin a little bit later so we a few hours to get ready." Sōma nodded and thanked him.

"I'll be going now, see you later." Ryō gave him a small smile before leaving. Sōma leaned back on his bed and stretched out his arms, looking at the ceiling with a small frown on his face.

"Erina... What do I do now...?" he quietly asked himself. The rain kept pouring outside, it was cold it felt like it was winter inside his room. The red-haired chef quickly showered and got changed into his suit. Re-adjusting his tie in the mirror, seeing the bandage that Ryō had wrapped the other day, he grabbed a first-aid kit downstairs to re-apply some bandage and he looked back upstairs in the mirror to see if he missed anything else.

"What would you say if you could see me now... Probably, I'd get an earful..." he looked down on his feet in shame. He gave his uncle Yohan and aunt Lafter a quick call to babysit Etsuko while he was gone. Thankfully the old couple was available.

Sōma sighed, grabbing a yellow umbrella from the umbrella stand before leaving his house. The rain instantly filled his nostrils when he went outside. The smell of it calmed him down while he walked underneath his yellow umbrella.

"I miss you..." the red-haired chef mused to himself, his hand shoved in his pocket as he continued to walk under the pouring rain. Sōma felt warm even though it was cold, it was an odd sensation that he suddenly had. A familiar scent filled his nostrils and he instantly looked around for the source. Erina's perfume... The scent that was so intoxicating for Sōma that he would take in her scent when he could. It felt so nice to him and put his heart to ease.

He felt like he was sleep-walking after that his heart thumped inside his rib cage, the sensation of Erina being around him played with his emotions. He didn't notice it at first, but he then found himself briskly walking faster and faster towards the said place of her funeral.

It wasn't long before he reached the small memorial garden. It was a nice open field with numerous mausoleums and grave stones. He saw plenty of people inside a small building and saw his father was outside, wearing a suit and had his hair tied in a ponytail. The older Yukihira looked at him and walked towards his son with a small frown on his face.

"You alright, kiddo? Think you can handle today?" his father asked and Sōma nodded to reassure him.

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, inviting over his son to the building. All his friends were there, for him. Ryō was over the coffin with Alice who was sobbing into his shoulder. The other Polar Star Dormitory members were scattered around the room, some sitting and exchanging stories and looking over to Sōma and giving him reassuring smiles while some of them like Zenji tended to the other guests. On the other side of the room he saw Terunori talking with Hisako, Subaru and Akira were having coffee on the other end of the room. The red-haired chef bowed gratefully to all of his friends who came and met with Subaru and Akira, the two men who patted him on the shoulder and asked him a few questions.

"My condolences Yukihira, I flew back to Japan as soon as I heard the sad news..." Subaru said with sadness steeping into his voice, hugging his friend and patting him on the back. Sōma gave him a small smile and hugged back his burly friend.

"Thanks man... I appreciate you coming all this way..." He turned to Akira who did the same.

"You're going to get through this. You're strong, Erina wouldn't have wanted to see you so upset for so long now would she?" he gave a reassuring smile at Sōma and he nodded back.

"Yeah... I kinda got so caught up in the moment when all these things just came crashing down... I'm glad I got you guys..."

The funeral started not long after. The priest came in and said some words, finally turning to the crowd of people standing and asked Sōma if would like to speak. He saw the worried glances and smiles of his friends, he assured them that he was fine and put on a brave smile, before walking in front of the coffin and taking small looking on Erina's final resting place.

'She looks so peaceful and tranquil….' He thought, turning to the crowd and thanking them.

He coughed a little to fight back the stinging in his eyes he promised himself that he would be strong for them.

"Thank you all so much for coming... I know these past few days have been a whirlwind of craziness for all of us... I'm sorry if I made you guys worried. I had a lot of things that were running in my mind a few days ago. To my best friend Takumi over there with Megumi, thank you so much Takumi... If you hadn't picked me up from the bar then... I probably wouldn't even be standing right here now..." he saw Takumi smiling towards him and encouraged him to continue.

"Erina... She's a special woman to me... She's everyone's haughty friend who never backed down from a challenge. She was the amazing woman who gave birth to our beautiful child, Etsuko." he started, taking a deep breath before continuing again.

"A few months back... We found out that she was battling with a hereditary heart disease from which her mother also died from. The doctors advised that childbirth was too much of a strain to her and would likely kill her if she went through with it. She and I both wanted to fight the battle... We didn't want to give up Etsuko for the world... The doctors advised for an abortion back then when Erina's health started to decline. We were so devastated and cried about it for days... She went into therapy after that and a few weeks later; lo and behold, she was healthy for the most part."

"I was late when my daughter was born... She needed me then to be there with her... But I couldn't make it in time and just saw her on the hospital bed, weak and almost lifeless but her eyes still kept on fighting despite it all. I'm just thankful that I'm here today to make up for it all. I want to thank you all for coming and giving your support."

"To my wife... I miss you Erina... I wouldn't be the man I am today without her..." he ended and saw the numerous sobbing people that heard his heartfelt speech. The priest nodded at him and gave him a small smile.

The coffin was lowered down the hole and Sōma was about toss-in a white rose - the rose that he would forever long for, the final flower that he could ever give to his wife. He kissed it before finally tossing it in the hole. On that day he vowed that he would be a better man and father to their daughter.

"Sōma? Do you have a moment?" he felt someone tapping his shoulder and saw Alice, her eyes swollen while she blew into her handkerchief. He nodded and went over to talk with Alice.

"What is it, Alice?" he asked, holding his umbrella out to the woman and feeling the chilling rain hit his other shoulder. Alice held out a small letter for him and gave him a smile through her welling eyes.

"Erina... Wanted me to give you this... In case she didn't make it…" her voice cracked and resumed to crying again, Ryō had walked over to them and held his umbrella to his girlfriend and smiled back at Sōma.

He shoved it back into his pockets and decided that he would read it in another time. The funeral ended then and they all went home. The sky soon broke apart after a whole morning-to-afternoon of raining and Sōma soon felt the sun's warmth hitting his face.

* * *

A day went by after Erina's funeral. Sōma was sitting around his table fiddling with his wedding ring. Nothing really much happened in the morning, it was around nighttime now and he was about to go to bed.

He couldn't sleep that night, the previous night he slept peacefully, but tonight was a different beast. He remembered the good times with Erina and how her presence was long gone in their bed. He had to readjust to sleeping alone in his bed. Usually he would sleep with lesser space so Erina could sleep comfortably in their bed. He chuckled remembering the times that he would sometimes roll off in his bed since Erina was a messy sleeper. Some nights he spent it shivering in the cold because she liked to snuggle up in their blanket. The best nights they would cuddle and stay warm together, all fond memories he savored and missed. He fingered the letter on the table before deciding to finally read it:

 _To my dearly beloved…_

 _I love you so much Sōma... You've given me a wonderful life... A reason to live and a reason to fight... Our daughter means so much to the both of us, nothing would make me happier than to bring her into this world. So please... Forgive me if I ever die and you read this. Don't ever blame yourself for one second because that child you're holding right now is the proof of our love. I wish I could've spent more time with you and Etsuko it's sad, but you have to remain strong alright? I love you Sōma Yukihira._

 _From the day you've saved me from a life of misery... I can never thank you enough, you're an amazing chef and husband that made me want to wake up early everyday and make breakfast for you and cuddle with you in bed... I will forever stay with you in your heart._

 _You're the best adventure that I could ever ask for in my whole life. I love being your wife I love you and Etsuko so much, thank you so much for the years we spent together. Go on and find a new adventure Honey, I want you to promise me that you'll be happy without me okay? I'll try and look down from above whenever I can, who knows? Maybe I get to be our daughter's guardian angel if I'm really lucky._

 _~ Love Erina_

"I don't know if it's ever right by you if I could ever let my heart love another..." he whispered, looking over to his sleeping daughter and smiling in content, placing the rings he had in a small box and hiding it somewhere safe. He looked out of the window and felt the night breeze hitting his face he smiled and took the cold air.

 _"I'll be here..."_ He heard Erina's voice somewhere from afar, almost whispering to him.

"I know you are, and I'll always be here waiting for you..." he replied into the open night sky, the stars shone bright along with the moon. It illuminated his dark room, lighting the room with a soft light. Sōma then thought of taking a night stroll, it wasn't a bad idea. He needed the fresh air and time alone to think about things. He knocked at his father's room and watched his father come out of his room with a yawn.

"What is it, son? She up and crying again...?" he asked tiredly, Sōma chuckled and shook his head before explaining his idea to his father. Joichirou nodded and stayed at his room for the time being to watch over Etsuko.

"I'll be back soon, Pops!" Sōma hollered from downstairs, unlocking the door to his house to walk into the night.

Underneath the night Sōma sought for comfort onto the moonlight. His hands were shoved into his pockets to hide from the cold air. He looked up to the moon's brilliance and he smiled, walking towards somewhere before finally coming to a stop over the park.

It was near his house and was always a good spot to think whenever he would make Erina angry back then. It was his usual 'Doghouse' when they would fight and he would need some time to cool off. He chuckled remembering all those fond memories and sat down on the chain swing. He kicked off his legs and swung a little bit back and forth. A strong gust of wind hit him and he felt a glowing light next to him after, the light seeming to have taken form and was sitting on the swing beside him.

"I missed you..." he breathed out, rubbing his eyes to see if this was a dream. He was seeing Erina's ghost, the woman beside him turned and gave him a smile. Oh how he'd missed that smile of hers, the glowing didn't help as it further highlighted her beauty. It only made her look more ethereal and beautiful. Her amethyst eyes looked towards him and her mouth open to speak.

"I missed you too... How's it going these past few days?" Erina asked, Sōma leaned back and thought about what he would say she clearly would have already noticed the bandage on his arms and raised an eyebrow on it when she saw him trying to cover up his arm.

"I uh... I've been... A mess..." he admitted in shame, his head hung low and he chuckled helplessly at himself. He heard her sigh and walked over towards him, embracing him and holding his head in her chest. Warmth, her warmth and scent filled him with happiness and fond memories. She looked down on him and ran a hand through his temple, lightly kissing it after.

"You're making me more worried, Sōma, you know that?" she asked, huffing and feeling disappointed at her husband. He didn't know what higher power led him to seeing her again in her ghost form, but he thanked them for it. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

"I won't do it again. I Promise." he murmured, his face buried into her and Erina chuckled at his silliness. She hummed in response and they stayed like that for a little longer.

"So... Did you really become Etsuko's guardian angel...?" he asked in curiosity, tilting his head at her, his wife looked at him and wondered herself.

"I really don't know too... Death just said I can visit sometimes... I guess this is one of the few occasions?" she replied, shrugging and sitting back down onto the swing.

"I really don't know how all of this is possible... I'm not dreaming am I?" he asked her for confirmation Erina shook her head and giggled.

"Oh come on, first time you see your wife again and you ask her that?" she teased back at him, raising an eyebrow and striking her signature sitting pose. He laughed and smiled back at her.

"Even if this is all a dream or not... I'm just glad I was able to see you again..." he stood and walked over to her, taking her hands and helping her up. Erina smiled back and feeling that her short visit is almost up, embraced her husband once more. Lights danced around the two of them, encircling Sōma in a faint warm light that glowed like fireflies into the night. He held out his pinky in front of her and made a promise, pressing their foreheads together before giving her a small peck on the lips.

"No matter what... We'll always be there for Etsuko..." he initiated, she followed suit and kissed him back, slowly disappearing into a millions of glowing lights.

"No matter what..." he heard her voice faintly say, he smiled and walked back into his house. His heart felt warmer and he felt as if he'd gain strength with the little moment that they had.

* * *

It was the morning after the eventful night. Morning had come and Sōma had stray tear stains when he woke up. He composed himself after a while and went to change into his clothes after drying off. He went downstairs and saw something that made him laugh, everyone was gathered at Yukihira and there was a party being held. Balloons, gifts, food and merry-making, it was a real spirit-lifter he thought.

"What's all this?" he asked, greeting his friends that came and chuckling along with them. He took a silly hat from the table and wore it, noticing the others wearing their other party hats. Yuki and Joichirou greeted him in the morning and chuckled. The Aldini brothers greeted him along with Megumi and Ikumi who came inside carrying a few shopping bags.

"Well... We uh... Sorta had an idea that Etsuko should have a baby shower..." Megumi said shyly, looking over to Takumi who chuckled and pinched her cheek. The adorable bluenette groaned and pouted at her boyfriend.

"Alice really pushed the idea onto us, honestly..." Ikumi muttered, earning a sideway glare onto the platinum blonde Nakiri. She chuckled and showed Sōma the cute outfit that she dressed Etsuko on. Sōma 'awe-ed' and looked at his daughter's cute small dress and her little mittens. Yuki had finished up decorating the house and hollered over to her phone.

"Ohhh! Sōma's here guys! Let's start Etsuko's baby shower!" Yuki rung aloud, playing some trendy pop music. Shoji and Daigo got out the plates for everyone, while Zenji and Satoshi were giving Sōma some helpful advice and books on how to take care of infants. The party still hasn't started yet, but Sōma felt home right here and then. This exact moment, the good or bad, it meant the world for him to see the overwhelming support he had from his friends.

"Ryō-kun! Get the door for me please!" giggled Alice while cooking something extra from the kitchen. Sōma looked over to the door and saw that even Subaru, Hisako, and Akira attended with more gifts. Akira was currently nagging on his phone, presumably scolding Jun about how clumsy she could be. Hisako saw Sōma and pulled him into a hug, the pinkette chuckled and went over to Etsuko's small cot with Sōma.

"She's a lot like Erina isn't she? She has a different hair color though, her's is much more of rose-gold than her'." Hisako pointed out, resting her arms onto the cot and looking fondly at her niece. Sōma smiled and nodded.

"Oh yeah... You're right..." he noticed, looking over to the baby's head and seeing some coloration on her small head. She yawned awake and looked at her Papa with a gummy smile on her face. Sōma melted at the beautiful sight in front of him, her amethyst eyes matched Erina's so much. He hadn't known if it was just the sheer moment of happiness bubbling inside of him, but Sōma damn well sure felt that this was too much happiness. He tried to hold back some tears, quickly wiping them away so as nobody would notice.

"Oi, here you dumbass…" He was confused at first, but then saw Takumi holding out a handkerchief for him. The Italian chef offered a lopsided grin and then walked towards everybody who was currently gathered around Etsuko. Sōma took up the handkerchief with a teary-eyed smile and thanked his friend.

 _A fire set ablaze…_

 _A fire rekindled…_

 _A fire that was almost extinguished …_

 _Came back…_

 _Blazing with life and hope…_

" _I love you…"_ he felt a warm sensation on his back, a familiar ringing on his head again.

 _Erina's voice…_

He heard her again. Her scent, her warmth, her ghostly embrace kept him standing still, he embraced himself further. She filled up his senses with her love, though life and death apart he felt her love in the air. I relished in this familiar feeling, he loved every little bit about it. It was almost…

'Absolute comfort…' he thought.

"I love you too Erina…" he smiled, Megumi heard him mumbling under his breath while she was serving everyone some cups of juice and other beverages. She smiled over to him and patted him on the back. They started the party after everyone got everything set up. With his baby girl on his arms, the young red-haired chef looked at his peers with the proudest grin on his face.

"Guys, I want you to meet Etsuko." Everyone gushed at her when she yawned awake. Everyone saw the twinkling purple eyes of curiosity. Etsuko giggled at them, they were entranced by this little angel Sōma was carrying.

"Meet your new aunts and uncles..." he whispered onto her. Ikumi blushed at him and went over to the baby along with Hisako.

"She's so cute…" Hisako whispered, a little bit teary eyed but still overwhelmed by happiness when she saw the younger version of Erina in front of her. Sōma gently passed on the baby to them as Hisako cradled her in her arms.

"She looks a lot like Erina doesn't she, Sōma?" Ikumi teased around, everyone laughed as well as Sōma. She gently kissed the baby on her forehead.

"I take it that you want one someday, _amore?"_ she heard Isami whisper from behind her, she looked over to her boyfriend and blushed beet red. Lightly nodding and hitting him in the arm for saying such things to her.

Everyone took turns on introducing themselves. Shoji and Daigo were whisper-arguing on which ever uncle she would find cooler one day. Takumi and Isami were also suckers for babies, especially Takumi when he held Etsuko so gently, whispering sweet words to her that not many would recognize because he spoke them passionately in Italian. Yuki and Ryoko then held onto Etsuko, Yuki providing her with many stuffed animals as Ryoko cradled Etsuko.

"You aren't one for babies eh?" Subaru nudged at Shun who silently watched the gang. He smiled back at the hulking chef and replied.

"It's just that I'm scared of possibly holding them the wrong way." Subaru poked fun at him while covering his mouth. Ryō and Akira were also there with them, not really one for gushing emotions, but they were happy for Sōma. Ryō looked at Alice and saw her looking somewhat differently at Etsuko, as if she's longing for something. It confused him a bit as he tried to shake off the thought.

"Hey, hey, you guys! Come on! Etsuko needs to meet her uncles!" Yuki then brought her over to Subaru and the rest. She made Shun hold Etsuko while she scurried off to chat with the other girls.

"Uh… Yuki... I don't think that this is a good idea..." was all Shun could say, flustered as he may be, he was happy nonetheless at the child he was holding dearly.

"Gooochi gooochi kuuuu! I'm your uncle Subaru!" The burly man tickled at Etsuko with his meaty fingers, Akira slapped them away before he could touch the child, scolding Subaru in the process.

"Ouch! The hell was that for!?" he whispered over to Akira, hissing and glaring over to the other man who crossed his arms.

"Careful you dumbass, she's still frail." Subaru then looked a little bit sad but was head over heels when he felt Etsuko touching his finger with her tiny hands.

Ryō was next after Ibusaki, he held onto her stiff. He wouldn't budge, but he couldn't look at Etsuko as well. Sōma grabbed his camera and took a picture of them. It was funny seeing Ryō like that, he also didn't know how to handle a child. Alice giggled at him and kissed him on the cheek.

She whispered onto his ear and giggled

"Pretty soon you'll be a father too you know?" she revealed to her boyfriend, shyly looking down at the floor while her hands were behind her back. Ryō was shell-shocked enough to calmly pass Etsuko onto Akira while pressing Alice for more details.

"Since when, why didn't you tell me sooner...?" Ryō whispered to her with a disappointed and scared tone. Alice smiled back and held his hand, looking intently onto his eyes with her ruby red ones.

"Hey… It'll be alright, I've been pregnant for two weeks now... We'll talk more about it when we get back home alright?" She replied giving him a peck on the cheek while nervously nibbling her lip. Ryō stood still he couldn't believe what he heard. He went out for some air while Sōma saw Alice sighing and looking like she was about to cry. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she reassured him that she was fine.

Finally, Etsuko was now in the arms of Megumi. Sōma walked over to her, seeing her gently placing a tired out Etsuko on her little cot. Takumi joined his girlfriend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, lightly giving her a peck on the cheek while she held onto the baby close.

"You'll be a great chef one day…" she whispered onto the child with a small smile on her face. Sōma saw her face then hesitate for a while, her eyes searching and seems to have been in deep thought. Sōma tapped Takumi's shoulder to get his attention, Sōma pointed him to Megumi and shrugged, mouthing a 'you did something?' at him. Takumi tilted his head in confusion.

"I wonder... If I'll be a mother too one day..." Megumi whispered to herself, looking down at the precious child she was cradling. It was a silent wish that she had, but she dismissed the thought, thinking it might be too soon.

"You'll be a great mother one day, _il mio amore..."_ Megumi blushed deeply and hid her face in embarrassment. Takumi chuckled lightly and hugged his girlfriend closer, planting a soft peck on her temple. He looked back at Sōma, silently thanking him and mouthing a 'she wants a freaking kid!' at him while slightly panicking. Sōma laughed out loud and spat his drink when he understood what Takumi said. He grinned slyly at the blonde Italian chef and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Takumi dismissed the thought, felt his heart drumming on his chest and tried to distract himself by looking at Etsuko and seeing her sleeping face. Thankfully Takumi's drumming heart calmed down.

' _Dio mio_ what am I going to do…?' he thought to himself, giving Megumi a weak smile.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ Don't forget to share this to your friends! Thanks again for reading you guys, hope you all enjoy the ride. Rate and review if you can! Thanks a bunch! By the way I refer every character here to their first names so please keep in mind of that in case you're confused.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A:N/ So this brings about the second and probably final time that I'll be editing these chapters before I publish the succeeding chapters after chapter 15. Anywho, don't forget to favorite and review, as it helps the story become more popular, thank you again!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki No Soma**

* * *

Surprise Pregnancy

* * *

A puff of smoke billows outside the cold home of Alice Nakiri. Underneath a tree a young raven-haired man smoked while in deep thought, he kept pondering about the numerous news that he had just received; with each hit he took from the cigarette in between his lips he felt the nicotine doing its magic, effectively calming down the agitated young man.

The stench of it clung onto him and its heat provided him with warmth from the cold outside weather. He thought about it some more, the news that had been laid unto him. Ryō was a cold and brutal kind of person, but growing up in the streets of Denmark did that to him, those days when he lived hand-to-mouth; the bitter cold nights he spent on the pub making meals for sailors. It was a bitter life he recalled, he was miserable, but he felt trapped in a cage. He had no choice. He either had to fight every day for his life or starve in the streets and die in the gutters.

Until he met her; until he met the girl that saved his otherwise gray colored life and provided a splash of color in it.

 _Alice…_

 _The smell nicotine…_

 _The stick of poison in his lips…_

 _The overbearing news of him being a father soon…_

It all took a toll on the usually quiet Ryō, him being a father?

'What a joke' millions of thoughts flooded him that night. He struggled to keep sane, struggled to keep quiet, and most of all he struggled to not run away. He took out another cigarette from his box and lit up the stick of nicotine. He looked at himself on the reflective metal casing of his cigarettes, grunting in annoyance and disappointment.

'What the fuck am I doing with my life...' he thought. He shoved his hands down on his pockets and headed towards a small forest near their house.

On that night a cool breeze hit him would hit him occasionally, unprotected from the cold the young man shivered from the howling winds of the woods. Leaves crunched beneath his feet with every step he took away from the home of his girlfriend, he noticed that little by little he was picking up the pace and was now briskly running. Smoke and the scent of nicotine clouded his vision. He spat out the cigarette from his lips and tripped on a root that he didn't notice.

Ryō landed on the forest floor with a thud and he groaned in pain. He hit his knee a little bit hard on some rocks, causing it to flare in pain. He tried to stand up, but winced from the pain when he noticed that his knee had bruised. The raven-haired young man grabbed a handful of leaves and grasped on them with frustration, crushing up the leaves into dry pieces.

Ryō chuckled darkly to himself and ran a hand through his hair, taking off his bandanna to use it as a make-shift support bandage to his knee. The young man looked up to see the moon illuminating the dark forest, he wondered about its mystic beauty. It reminded him of Alice's hair, her pale skin and her soft lips. He unconsciously ran a finger on his lips and remembered the first time Alice and him had kissed. He remembered it like yesterday, the fight that they had and the events leading up to after that day.

* * *

*Flashback*

"Ryō… Why're you smoking…" Alice asked him slowly, her voiced laced with obvious irritation. Ryō had a stressful day after numerous Shokugekis with different students. The number of things that took away on his usually peaceful time, it irritated him and drove him over the edge, now Alice spots him smoking by his usual spot.

'Just my fucking luck' he thought.

Smoking on campus was prohibited in the school manual, punishable by expulsion he winced at the thought. Caught red-handed he decided to face Alice's wrath by his own.

"Ryō… I'm asking you, why are you smoking?" Alice repeated, gritting her teeth and looking more and more agitated towards her aid.

"It's none of your business why I smoke. Fuck off." He said yelled back without a hint of hesitation. He continued to puff smoke from the cigarette he was holding, stepping away from Alice so that she wouldn't be caught in the secondhand smoke of it. Alice groaned in irritation and stomped over to him forcefully tearing away the cigarette from his lips, throwing it to the ground and putting out its embers. She glared at Ryō and gritted her teeth in frustration. If he had a smoking problem he should have told her! She thought.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Ryō glared at her, seeing her eyes welling up with tears. Alice quickly wiped them off and pressed him further for answers.

Alice was pissed; smoking was what she hated about the pub that she found Ryō working on years ago. The sailors and numerous fishermen there would drink and smoke while the young raven-haired boy would cook their meals, catching the second hand smoke of it all. She hated it. She hated Ryō reverting back to the hard life that he had back then in Denmark.

"How long do you think your body can handle the smoking? Please stop it Ryō! Do you even know how dangerous this is?" she yelled at him angrily and pounding her fist over to his chest in frustration. They were thankfully far away from prying eyes Ryō shoved her off him and shrugged, glaring at her with cold eyes while crossing his arms. He spat on the floor and looked at her with murderous eyes.

"Verpiss dich..."he muttered under his breath.

German, Alice recognized immediately what he had said and went over to him with tears brimming to her face and faced him. German was Ryō's preferred method of communicating back then, the sailors at the pub from which he worked on when he was young was dominated by Germanish folk, naturally Ryō picked the dialect up. Alice couldn't talk to him properly back then since she spoke Danish, but learned to speak German when she wanted to get closer to Ryō.

"DO YOU REALLY HATE ME THAT MUCH!?" she shouted at him, trying to wipe away her tears. Ryō rubbed the back of his neck and stepped away from the crying girl.

'Ahh crap, just my luck…' he thought with much annoyance from the girl.

"Ich hasse dich nicht..." He replied again in German, hugging the girl in front of him and apologizing. Alice hugged him back and huffed.

"You don't hate me... But I don't feel that you care about me either... So what is it?..." she asked, looking away from her aid and clutching her sides, gripping her uniform and trying to not let out a whimper. Ryō wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Alice covered her nose from the stench of nicotine that permeated off from his body. His muscular chest and pressed to hers and she blushed, the aroma of smoke had made him seemingly more-manlier and gruff, it had a weird effect but it matched him well, much to Alice's annoyance.

"I'm so sorry…"Ryō whispered to her, leaning his head onto her shoulder. He felt Alice shuddering and he felt her soft hand running through his hair after that.

"Mach mich nicht so beunruhigen..."Alice replied back, resting her head onto his shoulder and hugging the raven-haired chef. Ryō was astonished that she could speak German as well and he looked at her with this bewildered expression.

"When did you learn how to speak German?" he asked the Danish girl who offered him a small smile and twiddled with her thumbs, looking away to hide the creeping blush on her face.

"W-Well... When we first met years ago... You spoke in German with a few Danish... I thought about learning German then since it would be easier for you and I to communicate... But you know… There's always Japanese for that." she trailed off embarrassed by her ramblings. Ryō deadpanned at her and lightly pushed her back down onto the soft grass. The space created between them then vanished instantly when his lips crashed onto hers melting their lips together in a hot passionate kiss.

"I love you... I'm so sorry if I act so irrationally... Smoking... Smoking is my problem ever since I was young... I could never defeat this demon... I understand if you'd want to forget what happened. I'll just act like it never happen-" he was cut off when Alice caught her breath and dove into his lips for another kiss. She lightly pushed him down and he tripped on his feet causing the both of them to land on the floor with a small thud.

"I've loved you since we were kids... How could you be so dense to have taken all this time before you confessed to me..." she cried onto his chest, heaving from running out of breath.

"I know… I'm sorry… I was just so afraid that I'd lose you if I forget my place..." He replied, patting Alice's head gently in the process and sighing in content. He sometimes wondered if she's just this moody, but played it off because of the few times they fought like this for real, it was always because she was worried for him. It felt nice he thought, to have someone who'd ask if he'd eaten breakfast or would constantly bug him whenever she got bored. She grew onto him, her constant nagging and playful banters, it struck him as she's the only one who isn't intimidated by him to just spending time with him on her own whim.

*End of flashback*

* * *

"Fucking hell…" he sighed, burying his hands on his face in lament. Was he ready? Can he step up?

All his life he'd been alone, how the hell was he supposed to handle this kind of situation he put himself in? He made a mistake, he kept repeating to himself. A mistake that Alice had to pay, he added to his ever growing list of screw-ups he had. He looked up the sky and played with his lighter, a habit he grew into when he first started smoking.

"Ryō?" asked a voice he heard from afar. He saw a familiar face walking up to him carrying two bottles of beer with a grin on his face. He sighed in defeat now that Sōma had found him out here in the woods. He called over to his friend and clasped his hands, no longer taking a whiff of smoke from his cigarette. He carefully put it out and buried it in the ground as Sōma approached him. The young red-haired chef sat beside and had an all-knowing look on his face, offering him a beer and a lopsided grin to his friend.

"I came looking as soon as Alice asked around where you went. She's really worried you know?" he simply said, popping the cap off his bottle and drinking the cold beverage. Ryō looked at him and awkwardly shuffled his feet, rubbing the back of his head in shame. Thankfully Ryō, his friend for didn't feel the urge to pester him further. He just waited out for him and smiled, the two sat on the log while overlooking this small pond there in the forest.

"Alice is pregnant." Ryō said quickly, it was enough for Sōma to hear and he wasn't a bit fazed. He found it funny even, that even Ryō is not immune to things like these. He smiled on his friend and patted his shoulder.

"Congratulations then!"

"You're not getting the point, Yukihira…"

"Well what's bothering you then? Just needed some time to think?" Sōma asked back in reply, Ryō just looked at him and laughed hopelessly at himself, chugging down his beer and wiping off some of it that dripped down the side of his mouth.

"I'm not cut out to be a Dad. I never knew my parents and I just don't know what to do… She deserves better…" he looked at the ground, a few times in a moment before he would grab a small rock and skim it over to the pond.

"You'd be surprised… You think I'm a decent enough Dad? I'm really bad at this Dad thing when I started right off the bat." Sōma replied, grinning while scratching his nose a little bit from the chilly air that filled his nostrils.

"Well, your Dad knows right? At least you have some form of advice to get if you ask him." Ryō replied.

"True, but you do too you know? We're family, even if you think it might be embarrassing at first to ask for a bit of advice and help, you shouldn't take on the burden yourself! Plus you're a team now, you and Alice. Trust me having a kid is the best thing that ever happened to me." Ryō looked at Sōma, dumbfounded by the maturity of his words.

He smiled and then felt a familiar box on his pants. He took it out and gripped the pack in his hands with a bit of frustration. Sōma looked over to him and crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow at his raven-haired friend.

"It's for your own good that you stop. You were there for me when I needed some sense smacked into my head. I'm doing the same for you now." Soma said out loud in an easing manner, careful to not overstep his boundaries. Ryō laughed and threw the pack of cigarettes he had onto some pile of leaves, kicking some dirt onto it to bury the wretched box.

"You're right... Fuck this shit." He said, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking back to the moon the shone above them.

 _Conquered demons…_

 _Anxiety subsiding…_

 _A warming feeling…_

 _The biting cold of the weather…_

Ryō stood up and dusted off his pants, giving Sōma a hand. The young man then started the trek back to the house, his head held up high when he'd reach the conclusion of his pondering. Sōma was whistling some off-beat tune while they were on their way back.

"Oh by the way Sōma…" he said aloud while his hands still shoved into his pants. The red-haired chef looked over to his friend and saw him smiling a bit.

"What is it?" he asked back, slightly laughing.

"Thanks… You know uh for the help? I needed the sense talk and I'm sure as fuck that I wouldn't have gotten it if I asked Akira." The two laughed on their way back. Ryō felt alive, this warmth in his chest. The feeling of finally accepting what Alice's loving warmth had done for him, he loved her. He loved her with all his heart even if sometimes even he couldn't find the worth that she saw in him. He was thankful for her, he was thankful for the child that she was bearing. Most of all, he was thankful that his gray colored life was now a myriad of colors that sparked in the twilight with its brilliance. The bubbling happiness that wrapped him, the almost comedic skip in his walk, even he found himself suddenly humming in delight.

They eventually reached the house, and there on the porch he saw his girlfriend. The love of his life waiting for him with her hands wistfully on her chin while she drank some juice from a glass beside her. She sighed, still not noticing him. She huffed in annoyance and pouted cutely.

"I hate him so much! Arghhh..." she groaned in frustration, Sōma stopped Ryō in his tracks and had a sly grin on his face. They hid behind some trees and watched as Alice continued with her tantrum. Ryō looked over to Sōma and glared at his friend, mouthing something.

'What the hell are you doing?!' he mouthed to Sōma, who slightly shook his head and told him to wait.

'Just wait!' Ryō heard the sound of sniffling and immediately his heart sunk - feeling lower than dirt when he agreed to Sōma's idea. He was about to step-in to comfort her when he heard her saying more.

"Dammit Ryō... I'm so scared too you know..." she muttered, while wiping off some tears in her face. Sōma then looked over to Ryō who was stuck on his place and shoved his friend forward.

'Now!' he mouthed at his friend, urging him that this is the perfect time to comfort Alice. Ryō steeled himself and replied back.

"I'm not scared anymore. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Alice..." he admitted, Alice was frozen in her place and looked at her lover with tears welling up in her ruby-red eyes. Sōma chuckled at the two of them and decided to give them privacy, quietly walking away from the two.

They locked eyes for a brief moment.

In a heartbeat he ran towards her, and she ran towards him. Alice jumped onto him and they landed onto the ground with a thud. She cried onto his chest and he chuckled back, patting her head and sighing.

"I was so worried that you don't want the child! Idiot!" she cried more, Ryō caressed her and whispered.

"I'm sorry for making you worry... Don't ever leave me." he replied simply, hugging Alice and burying his head onto her shoulder. Alice looked up and huffed, crossing her arms and pouting at her lover.

"Oh so now I'm the one who's leaving you!?" she asked with irritation, pouting at him more. Ryō, the being the hot-head he was, hissed back and replied with frustration as well.

'Yikes… What the hell happened…?' Sōma thought back as he heard yelling from afar.

"How the fuck can you go from having this sweet moment to just go on and berate me! Being the moody cow you are, still going on and on about how I fucking left for about three hours after we got home! Jesus Christ woman! Just marry me already! Fuck's sake!" he threw his arms upwards and looked at her, and then he realized what he just said. It was one of those moments where Ryō bit back his tongue and winced inwardly. Alice tensed up and put a hand towards her drumming chest, asking him shakily what he had just said.

"Y-You... What did you just say!? Say it again!" she urged, red-faced and looking at her boyfriend with tears brimming in her eyes. Ryō sighed and looked back at her, putting his hands on her hips, earning him a slap on the face and a yelp.

'Alright fuck it, seems I'm proposing tonight…' he thought as he rubbed his sore cheek.

"Fucking hell, can you just stop being so neurotic and marry me already!?" he yelled, gritting his teeth and looking at her with the same scared expression.

"No! You said neurotic! The definition of neurotic - is causing something or someone a headache!" she shouted back, clearly missing what he said. Ryō lost in then and pushed her onto the floor, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to look at him.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, tearing up. Ryō sighed back and sat back down, crossing his arms and calming down. Alice wiped her tears and sat up with a defiant look on her face.

"I just asked you to marry me and you go on and on lecturing me about the textbook definition of the word I used... Sounds about right." he muttered, Alice gasped and put her hands onto his shirt, grasping it and shaking him for more answers.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? ARE YOU PROPOS-" Ryō silenced her with a kiss when he had enough of her tantrum. He licked her lips and caressed her cheek, deepening the kiss in the process, the raven-haired chef gently propped her onto his lap and Alice gasped in response, still the two were lip-locked. They broke apart, gasping for breath and Alice looked so cute when flustered. She looked at her boyfriend, not saying a word and waiting for him to ask again.

"If you still won't give me a fucking answer by the third time I ask you to marry me, I'll fucking walk out-"

"YES! YES AND A THOUSAND TIMES YES! I WILL MARRY YOU RYŌ KUROKIBA!" she lunged at him and kissed him again. They broke apart and Ryō looked at her with a mortified look. He'd just asked his girlfriend to marry him FOR THE THIRD TIME and then she finally agreed.

"Ahh, I forgot to bring a ring..." he muttered when he realized that none of this was planned, Alice giggled and sat back up.

"So let me get this straight... You're proposing to me and saying that you're not afraid of the child I'm bearing, but! You forgot to bring a ring?" she asked, raising the eyebrow and trying so hard to keep a straight face from her suppressing laughter.

"Sounds about right, I'm marrying you - ring or no ring." Ryō replied back, with much sass this time, surprising Alice. She bursts out in a fit of giggles, earning her a flustered look from her boyfriend.

"Who are you and what did you do to my Ryō?" she asked in between her laughter, Ryō growled back and tried to look away in shame.

"Shut up..." he replied, before walking back inside their house. Alice giggled and jumped onto his back. Ryō hummed and shut the door behind them, adding to his ever-growing list of things to do was shut Alice up for the display he'd put up for her earlier. He came up with an idea and grinned slyly at her.

"You won't be so bratty when you're screaming my name all night..." he said in a husky tone, Alice was flustered and watched as Ryō carried her up to their bedroom.

"Ryō!" she yelled, red-faced and wheezing in embarrassment.

Let's just say that it was a good thing that they had no neighbors that night.

'Alright I better get home soon…' Sōma thought with a wide grin of his face as he went on his merry way home.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ yikes so not a lot of things were edited in this chapter, just added a few things here and there and made spell-checking errors as well as grammatical stuff. I also added an explanation to why** **Ryō can speak German fluently, fun fact if you don't know, German is actually an elective subject in Denmark, so to the random guest who reviewed and told me off, you can say that I'm half right when it comes to Danes speaking German.**

 **Favorite me up, follow me and don't forget to leave a review! Thanks a bunch!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A:N/ I decided to do you readers a service! This chapter would ultimately explain the chemistry that's going to build up between** **Sōma and Hisako, while also delving in some real-life experiences that happened to me/people that I've asked advice on how to make this chapter more realistic and believable. Tell me your thoughts on it after you're done reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Chemistry

* * *

Sōma hummed to a tuned when he walked back from Alice's house.

'It was a weird night…' he thought back, recollecting the obvious sexual tension in the air earlier between his two friends. Luckily for the red-haired chef that he got out of there before things 'transpire' too much.

One moment he was changing diapers and making baby formula when all of a sudden he received a call from Alice saying that Ryō was missing. Sōma got onto the last trip on-board the train back to their district. It had been a while since he was in that vacation home. He thought about the last time they went there as a group, Erina and all the other people on their gang were also present at the time.

Sighing back into his seat, he looked into the window and onto the night sky filled with stars, illuminated by the thousands of soft glows that various street signs and neon lights covered.

'Erina wouldn't have stopped gushing to me about this…' he remembered his late wife's love for the sights seen at night. It was something that he dearly missed, Erina's childlike wonder whenever she would see the pretty sights with him. Sōma frowned and shook of the thought.

'I can't mope around like this forever…' he struggled to get Erina out of his mind since he's been seeing her everywhere and remembering the little details about them. It wasn't wrong for him to grieve, but it was unhealthy of him to not learn how to accept her passing.

"You mind if I sit next to you? Or are you still lost in the moment?" asked a familiar voice in front of him. Sōma looked up and found a familiar head of pink that was standing in front of him with a playful grin on her face Hisako had been aboard the train as well. Sōma chuckled and patted the seat next to him for her to sit onto.

"What's gotten you up so late?" he asked, unsure of the grey bags under her eyes and the backpack that she carried. Hisako huffed and placed her bag down at her feet before taking a deep breath of relief.

"I want to try my luck being a radio talk-show host." she replied, expecting him to either laugh or think that she was joking. Surprisingly, Sōma just smiled back at her.

"That's nice, what made you want to do it?" he asked. Hisako then wondered herself, what made her to want to do it? She recollected her thoughts and before finally forming a reply.

"It was something that I tried out secretly at middle-school back then." she admitted, drumming her fingers and bobbing her head while listening to the beat of the song that played on the train.

"Your middle-school had a radio talk-show program?" Sōma asked, bewildered and gave her a funny look. Hisako chuckled and nudged him on the shoulder.

"One of the perks I enjoyed from being Erina's aid. Plus, I think I'll take a short break from cooking professionally, too much stress from the kitchens, you know?" she replied cheekily, grinning at him. Sōma crossed his arms and leaned back onto his seat, agreeing with her.

"Tell me about it… The last time that I went to work for a professional kitchen, the owner wanted me to do exclusive fancy dinners with his clientele. Too much noise if you ask me, I'd rather work in my own kitchen than with those guys." he sighed into his hand. It was surprising though, Hisako never really planned on pursuing a career in being a radio talk-show host, she pondered about it for a little bit before laughing at her own unique pursuits in life.

"How did your family take it? Did they discourage you or something?" Sōma asked curiously. Hisako shook her head and told him that it was all good on her family's part.

"Don't worry about me. You should really be more worried about your daughter, Yukihira. Why in the world are you out this late?" Hisako asked back, crossing her arms with a scowl on her face.

'Is he neglecting Etsuko?' crossed on Hisako's mind, Sōma wasn't exactly the most responsible out of the two of him and Erina. Good thing that her friend was receiving help from them in teaching him the ropes on caring for a child, none of the gang has a kid yet, but most of them apart from Sōma knew how to take care of one.

"Ohh its fine, I asked Pops to look after her while I was gone. Alice was really worried about Ryō so I figured why not lend her a hand?"

"Why? What happened to Alice and Ryō?" Hisako asked.

"Can't tell, it's all fixed now so you don't have to worry about it"

"If you say so"

"You know, I think that you'd be a great nurse or teacher if you didn't take up cooking. Plus, you'd totally rock those looks." Sōma nonchalantly brought up, looking at her and tilting his head to try and imagine Hisako working as a nurse or a teacher.

"My, my, look at you trying to insinuate that you want me to dress up in a cute nurse's outfit or a skimpy teacher's uniform." Hisako fired back laughing at the flustered Sōma who covered his face in embarrassment upon realizing what he said was kind of insinuating that he was really hitting on her.

"That's not what I meant!" he retorted back. Hisako poked fun at him before leaning back to her seat.

"Would you like to?" she then asked with a playful grin on her face. Sōma coughed into his hand before searching into her eyes, he immediately started nervously laughing when he saw that she was dead-serious.

'What the fuck am I getting into…' he gritted his teeth before agreeing.

"Sure, how about we go on a date, kind of like a dress-up date. You wear your nurse or teacher outfit while I wear something you want." he tested her to see what her reaction would be Hisako put a hand on her chin for a moment before replying.

'Hmm this went south really fast… Erina, what would you do?' she asked herself, pondering that she shouldn't ruin the friendship that they have right now. This was a bad idea, but maybe it could help Sōma move on.

"Before we do this, are you really sure that you want to go 'out' with me, Yukihira? No offense, but you're just recently widowed." Hisako asked back, a little bit harsh on her tone. Sōma chuckled sadly and turned his head to the other side, trying to find the answers himself.

"Maybe in a way, our 'date' would help me you know… Move on? I know it's a bit too soon, but I also think that I shouldn't be moping around all my life." He answered back, unsure if he said the right words. Hisako had a thin line forming in her lips.

"Alright, but let's drop the whole 'dressing up' date thing, we're not kids, Yukihira." Sōma sheepishly turned his head away out of embarrassment from his earlier suggestion, as his heart skyrocketed. He winced as he realized that he shouldn't have tested Hisako that way.

"You really took me up on the offer eh?" he asked. They got off the train and went to walk to somewhere to get a bite to eat after that.

"Don't think much about it. I'm only doing this so that I can help my best friend's hopeless husband." she shot back with a haughty look.

They went for some fast food along the way Hisako sat down while Sōma went to place their orders. He got a few burgers while Hisako went with a medium sized burger and fries, they ate and conversed, mostly talking about what's been troubling Sōma lately and how Hisako's been doing in her rehearsals.

"You're kidding? Me in a suit is like dressing up a monkey to look like a lemur..." he grumbled while taking a few sips from his soda, Hisako chuckled and poked fun at his weird line.

"Where did that came from? Just now the whole, 'dressing up a monkey to look like a lemur?'" she asked, the line was so original and well-put that it was hard to believe that he came up with the sassy reply on his own.

"Heard it once when I went to the movies with Erina. It was on some cheesy chick-flick from what I remembered." he replied, wrapping up the discarded wrappers from the burgers before throwing them out on a nearby trashcan.

"Just to throw this out, you look handsome either way with or without the suit." Hisako looked at him and grinned. Sōma wondered what had gotten into her, there was this unspoken chemistry between them that he had the urge to test out, but it felt somewhat -

'Wrong.' Hisako finished her thought feeling a little bit guilty.

For one he's still trying to get over Erina and two, it felt like the two of them were just looking for an excuse to hang out with each other.

'Hisako is a good friend. I owe her so much.' He replayed in his head, counting the number of times that Hisako saved his behind from Erina or in the kitchen. She was a close friend, but he couldn't help but realize that after being with her for many years, her personality and his really did mix well.

'Maybe that's why her parents thought I was dating Hisako…' he thought back, remembering the time that Hisako came to their house to introduce Sōma as Erina's boyfriend. It was a riot, her family had been so charmed by Sōma that they didn't expect that he was Erina's boyfriend, not Hisako's.

"Don't you think all of this is already wrong?" he asked seriously as they walked out of the place. Hisako hummed in response before replying something.

"Well... When you think about it, dating you this soon would be kind of being unfaithful to Erina, correct?" Sōma nodded and crossed his arms, leaning back onto a storefront.

"I'm really confused myself you know? But I for one think that we don't have to take it too seriously. Just think of it as like we're taking another stagiaire." she replied cheerfully, before walking off into somewhere. Sōma followed her and wondered what she had met.

Upon catching up to her, Sōma realized that they were going to head towards another shopping district nearby. He looked to her and saw her with her arms in her back and she was still humming that song from the train.

"Oi Hisako, where the hell are we going?" he asked, she smirked back at him and crossed her arms.

"Sōma, ever since you came back from your trip overseas and had that 'fiasco' we were all worried about you." she sighed and walked inside the stores. Sōma still followed her and asked her questions.

"Hisako, I know you were all worried about me, but come on, my wife just died! What the hell do you guys want me to feel?" he groaned out. Hisako smiled and bought some caramel ice cream for the two of them. They sat down onto a nearby bench and ate the cold treat in silence.

"I want to help you, Sōma. I really like you, I don't know if I should be saying this. Honestly? I brought it up to Erina years ago I told her that I was feeling some things for you." Hsako was asking herself why she opened up to him, it was unnatural of Hisako to do that, but she the fact remains that she was secretly hurting inside as well.

It was something that would ruin their friendship and she didn't want to jeopardize what they had now for anything, but Hisako still wanted to help Sōma heal. She wanted him to feel that he was still capable of love, so she set her bounds inside of her head and suggested another idea.

"How about we just hang out tomorrow?" she teased back, having made up her mind that she would subtly help Sōma realize that he can move on with his life.

"Well then, I can't say no to that offer now can I?" Sōma laughed back at her, giving a look that would challenge and playfully tease Hisako at the same time.

The two of them would be lying to themselves if they admitted that they wouldn't want to try dating. But they both knew better, one of them was still hurt pretty badly, and Hisako still hasn't gotten over her feelings over Sōma. Try as she might, the young woman still felt for her friend, even if the stars didn't align for the both of them, they've found solace and peace in each other's company.

'Erina please help me heal Sōma's wounded heart…' Hisako sighed after parting ways with Sōma.

* * *

When Sōma got back to Yukihira he saw Yohan talking with Joichirou, the two men conversing about something in between their drinks, they cheered and sang a funny song. Sōma cleared his throat and knocked on the door to get their attention, earning him two lopsided slightly-drunk grins and laughs from the two older men.

 _"Oh, you're back kiddo! Come come! Join me and yer father for some drinks!"_ guffawed Yohan while he held out a glass for Sōma offering the younger Yukihira with a cold beverage. Sōma took him up on the offer and sat down with the two elder men who crunched on peanuts and exchanged stories with him all the while checking up on Etsuko from time to time to see if his little daughter is sleeping soundly.

Yohan noticed the doubt that settled within Sōma's gaze on his drink. He had his fair share of these moments when he was younger, noticing that his nephew was looking conflicted he stroked his white beard before humming and tapping on Sōma's shoulder to get the young man's attention.

 _"Tell me… There's something botherin' you ainni't kiddo?"_ Yohan asked, wiping some froth of beer from his mouth. Joichirou tuned in to the both of them and looked at the two with a small smile on his face.

"Well there is..." Sōma muttered back, setting down his beer and looking down on his crossed legs.

"What is it then?" his father, Joichirou asked. Looking over with curiosity, Yohan did the same and waited for the younger Yukihira's reply.

"Pops… Did you ever try to date again after Mom passed away?" he asked his father, looking at the older man with a soft gaze. Taking a sip from his beer, Joichiro shook his head.

"No. I never met another woman quite like your mother. She was like this summer storm that breeze passed my life. I never stopped chasing after her and loving her way before her death." Joichirou smiled, lightly running his thumb over the damp glass of beer he had.

'Oh Meiko… If only you were around… You'd know what advice to give to our son…' Joichirou quickly wiped a stray tear from his face and turned around so that Yohan and Sōma wouldn't see his tears. His son put a hand on his shoulders while Yohan kept quiet and gave him a small smile.

" _You know, kiddo, I think I should tell ya 'bout that time that your o'l Pop her and your mother met."_ Yohan chuckled, looking over to Joichirou and asking to man if it's alright to tell Sōma. Joichirou leaned back and relived the memories of him and his wife as Yohan told them about the day that Joichirou and Meiko met.

* * *

*Flashback*

A young woman with short bobbed hair and cute blue eyes stared at awe at the new regular that helped around at her family's restaurant. Meiko pouted at the young man that quickly took the attention of her friends and family. The young man helped in cooking for the day since earlier that day, her father had other business to attend to, leaving no one to cook for that day.

'Stupid guy… If he wasn't so arrogant I'd think he's actually good-looking…' Meiko mumbled as a bowl of warm food was served in front of her by the young man with red locks and a wide grin plastered on his face.

"You haven't eaten yet, and you've been staring at me for a while. Here, eat this." Joichirou smiled back at the cute girl in front of him. He'd been coming secretly to Yukihira's on his off days serving as an Elite Ten Council member, sneaking out every once in a while to eat at the small family diner.

'Come on… Eat it and tell me I'm the best chef there ever was!' Joichirou waited for Meiko to eat his dish, he anxiously anticipated for her reaction. Meiko was annoyed at the young man and scoffed, she quickly took a spoonful of the food and gulped it down in one go.

"There's something missing…" Meiko muttered, Joichirou sighed and withered back down.

'Great… First time cooking for her and I blew it.' He face palmed, seeing that Meiko had already finished her bowl with a small flush on her face.

Joichirou smirked at the cute girl with stunningly beautiful blue eyes, walking over to her and crossing his arms, waiting for his compliment with a smug grin on his face.

"You started to hate cooking… Didn't you?" Meiko eyed at the young man with a frown on her face.

'What the fuck…?' Joichirou felt an icy stab through his chest as Meiko found out his secret. He hated cooking ever since no one proved to challenge him. He started to become arrogant in his skills because all that it took for him to get the approval of critics was simply gave half of his effort. There was no real passion anymore in Joichirou's cooking. All of his bravado melted away at the sight of the beautiful girl that frowned onto his dish.

"H-How did you know that?" Joichirou asked her again, still not taking his eyes off of Meiko who shuffled in her place.

"I felt no love or joy went into making your dish…" she admitted while twiddling with her thumbs and looking away at the young man's intense stare.

He felt relieved to have someone call him out. He felt relieve that for the first time in such a long time, someone found something wrong with his dish that he didn't particularly sabotaged or made to be disgusting. His gaze softened upon the young woman in front of him as he took a step back, clutching his heart with his hand and gently smiling onto the floor.

W-Wait I-I didn't mean it like that! It was still really good! I think I just made a mista-" Meiko trailed off, panicking at the silent young man that had served her breakfast. Joichirou felt warmth spreading through in his chest as he was renewed with a drive:

'I will make you say that you love my cooking.' He thought with a smile, reassuring Meiko that he wasn't upset at her criticism.

"Saiba… Saiba Joichirou." He stuck out his hand and introduced himself with a grin on his face. Meiko's heart skipped a bit at the audacious young man that wouldn't admit defeat, she shook his hand and introduced herself properly as well.

"Yukihira Meiko…" she said back, feeling a sudden jolt of static from the handshake. The two of them were inseparable from that day on. Joichirou and Meiko found out that they were pregnant after three years into their relationship and the rest was history.

*End of Flashback*

* * *

Sōma stared at the ceiling of his bedroom he was amazed and happy that his father loved his mother that much when she was around. He was only three years old when she passed away, not knowing too much about the comfort of having a mother would be. Often times back then, he would catch Joichirou looking through old photos of them with a fond smile on the older man's face.

"Someone to cook for…" he remembered his father's advice from way back then at the start of his first year in school. Ever since that day, he dedicated his life into proving Erina wrong and that his cooking being praised by Erina was all that he longed for.

Peering over to the side of his bed to see the little cot where Etsuko was sleeping, he kissed the young girl goodnight and went to bed.

'Erina… I still wish that you would say my cooking is great…' he dreamt of those days wherein Erina and him would be intimate and cook breakfast together, whilst everyone else in the Polar Star Dormitory was still fast asleep. They'd kept their relationship a secret for the first few weeks they'd been together officially after they saved Erina from the Nakiri mansion.

* * *

*Dream Sequence*

"Honey… It's time to wake up now…" he heard her voice, he felt her touch, he saw her beautiful shimmering amethyst eyes, most of all he saw his beautiful fiancé in bed with him after just proposing to her last night.

Erina snuggled up to his chest and buried her head, lightly giggling and rubbing her face onto his muscular chest.

"You were so cheesy and bold last night, so forward and embarrassing…" she mumbled, trying to hide the blush from her face that seeped through. Sōma pinned her down and kissed her neck lovingly, gazing at his fiancé with a stupid grin on his face.

"Ew I can taste your morning breath…" Erina teased him, causing Sōma to flung back onto the ground and rush over to the bathroom while denying his morning breath.

"I do not - have - bad morning - breath! – Haaaaach ~" after brushing his teeth with his fiancé, they both headed into the kitchen and wondered who would cook today's breakfast.

'How about some plain old bacon and eggs today…' Sōma chuckled, waiting to hear Erina's horrified plea that he wouldn't waste good ingredients on such plain food. Surprisingly, the former Nakiri heiress didn't mind at all and smiled along the way as she watched a shirtless Sōma cooking her breakfast.

'He's looking like the main dish already…' she drooled a little bit, looking at her fiancé with a sultry look and winking at him from afar.

'Yikes… She's really become daring since we've met. Now where did all that innocence go-to I wonder…' he chuckled as he served her plate of bacon and eggs.

After finishing up eating, the two went to do the dishes. It was their off day for today, but the two twenty-one year olds were going to be busy for the next few days after today. Thankfully for them, they had the rest of the day to enjoy.

They eventually settled on snuggling at the couch while watching a movie for the rest of the day. Erina resting on his chest while they would often do turns making snacks as they went on with their movie marathon. Sōma threw a loose fitting shirt on with his shorts while Erina changed into a more comfortable oversized shirt that Sōma wore frequently, causing him to arch and eyebrow towards his cheeky fiancé.

"I wish we could stay like this forever…." Erina muttered, burying her head into Sōma's chest causing the young man to be a little bit worried. He lifted her chin up to bring them to eye level, light pecking her on the lips and forehead after that.

"Hey… We'll be alright." He reassured her, setting her back down onto his chest as the two seemingly became increasingly sleepy.

"I love you… Please don't ever go away again…" Erina clutched his shirt and sobbed onto his chest, still fearing about the day that he would be forced to leave her. After his whole fight with Azami, the tyrant dictator didn't stop at nothing to separate the two of them. He even went as far as trying to have Sōma beaten up by his men in order for him to stop seeing Erina. That was when the two of them fled and ran away as far as possible from her father, the cruel father that never once showed an ounce of love towards her.

"I'm never going to leave you ever again." Sōma once again reassured her, patting her gently on the back while humming her to sleep.

*End of Dream Sequence*

* * *

He was awoken by the chirping of birds and the sunlight that gently hit his face. Sōma watched the clock and saw that it was '7:00 AM' he smiled and jumped out of bed to tend to Etsuko as well as getting ready for his day out with Hisako.

'This is gonna be so much fun!' he fixed up his shirt before making Etsuko some baby formula, cradling the small girl in his arms with a proud smile on his face.

"Etsuko… Guess what? Papa's going to hang out with your aunty Hisako. You be a good girl now eh? I'll have uncle Takumi watch you while I go out, I'll be back soon you hear me?" he chuckled melting at the sight of his daughter cooing as if she understood what he said.

Finding his blond Italian friend's number, he dialed up his friend and asked if he was going to be busy today.

[What is it now Yukihira?] asked an annoyed Takumi from the other end of the line.

"Hey there dude, are you busy today?" Sōma asked back, hoping that he wouldn't be much of a nuisance to his already annoyed friend.

[Not really, why do you ask?]

"Well… I'm sorta going to go hang out with Hisako today. Would it be alright if you watch over Etsuko while I'm gone?" Sōma winced, waiting anxiously for his friend's reply on the other line. Takumi was confused himself at first, wondering why he and Hisako would suddenly hang out.

[Okay? But what's on the agenda, Yukihira? You gotta tell me something.] Takumi teased.

Sōma cleared his throat and fumbled with his phone, wondering what he should say. Over at the other line, Takumi was laughing like a maniac while Isami looked in confusion to his brother.

"We're just going to go hang out, really. Lately I've been bothered about Erina's you know… But yeah, I was hoping that Hisako and I could go hang out and share something, help each other out you know?" Sōma finished, trying his best to explain the purpose of him and Hisako hanging out.

[…] there was a slight pause in Takumi's line, knowing Takumi like the back of his hand, Sōma knew that his Italian friend was worried and at the same time annoyed at him.

[Oi, let's hang out too! What am I, chopped liver? Anyway I'll go by your house in a little bit. I'm just waiting for Megumi to come along, she said she'll help me babysit Etsuko.]

"Thank you so much dude! I'll bring you back something when I get home, alright?" Sōma chuckled, getting a hum in response from his friend. They ended the call soon after, and the young man was already on his way out of the door.

"Pops! I'll be going out now!" he called out to his father who peeked from the kitchen with a smirk on his face.

"Oh… So that's why you were asking me about trying to date again. Did you get a sitter for Etsuko already? I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day." Joichirou asked with concern, Sōma nodded and waved off his father a goodbye.

"Yeah, Takumi and Megumi will come by a little bit later, see ya Pops!" he smiled before closing the door behind him and heading off to meet with Hisako at the mall.

'I wonder why I'm all so excited…' he slid a hand over to his chest and felt the thumping of his heartbeat getting faster and faster as he got closer to the mall.

"There goes our little idiot running off, Meiko…" Joichirou chuckled, getting back to his prep work on the ingredients.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ Yeah so fun fact: Joichirou and Meiko are going to get a spinoff series when I'm done with this story, I'm currently planning it on the side so be sure to check it out when it comes. Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to favorite and review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A:N/ Nothing much to say other than I cut a few scenes from the original. I made it so that I didn't have to explain the whole thing about** **Sōma and Hisako's date, but I'll be sure to add in the important details that happen so that's just a head's up for you old and new readers.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Enticing

* * *

Numerous days have passed since Sōma and Hisako's little 'hang out'. Both of them were smiling like a bunch of kids before they parted. It felt weird to Sōma their little 'hangout' brought more joy out of him that anything that recently happened. It wasn't overly complicated, but nonetheless the two had a great time in each other's company. Lately however, the young man was spacing out from time to time. Sōma would often stare out into the open and ponder back to that day whenever he would be left to his own devices. Something irked him inside and it kept him thinking.

"Sōma! The stir-fry noodles are burning!" hissed out Joichirou, snapping his son on his reverie. Sōma quickly put out the fire by putting it under the sink and turning on the faucet to remove the flames. The noodles were burnt to a crisp and had caused a small mess on their kitchen island. No one got burned, but Joichirou was annoyed at his son's lack of focus around the kitchen lately.

"Alright, maybe you should let off a little bit of steam, Sōma. Handle the prep work for now while I fix the orders up, you can do it?" Joichirou asked, a little bit worried about Sōma spacing out. The young man smirked at his dad and asked for him to slap his hands like he would use to.

"Pops, gimme the old 'motivation slap' on the hands." He grinned as Joichirou complied slapping his son's clasped hands to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Better now?" Joichirou raised an eyebrow at his wincing son, seeing the redness of his hands.

"Yeah… Though you could've toned it down a little bit…" Sōma mumbled much to his father's delight as he laughed at his son's antics.

"Let's talk later, do you work properly until then." rung the older Yukihira who worked double time to rush up on the orders that were falling behind. Sōma nodded and kept pace with his father. He picked up his slack and shook away his thoughts, a grin plastered on his face indicating that he was back and ready.

'I really need to talk with Hisako again…' he thought back, forgetting the fact that he hadn't called her back after they hung out days ago.

Joichirou looked over to his shoulder and saw that Sōma was doing fine again, not to mention that he was slowly doing more work until he helped with cooking the main dishes; they both exchanged glances and smirked at each other, father and son silently challenging each other to see who could out-pace the other.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Come on! There's still a few orders left." said the older Yukihira. Joichirou had just finished up plating their special of the day and served it to the customer with a smile on his face.

"You think I'll lose to you again Pops?" Sōma grinned, serving another customer with their order and giving his father a smirk back. He was all over the place, slicing and dicing, plating and serving dishes that had just finished cooking. The crowd of people who were watching the two men were awestruck by the two's performance and skill in cooking.

 _"Careful now kiddo, don't want you burnin' up yerself."_ teased Yohan who sat near their kitchen island and eyed the young man and his father.

'You remind me so much about yer mother when you're lookin' at your old man with that smirk on your face, kiddo…' Yohan smiled to himself, watching the young man cook along with his dad. It brought a tiny smile onto the bearded face of the old man, seeing Joichiro's look of passion in cooking reminded him of the times he and Meiko, Joichiro's late wife, would team up in order to finish the orders of the day.

"It'll be finished in a sec, Uncle Yohan! Just wait a little bit more. I got something special for you!" he laughed back, looking over to his shoulder to give the elderly man a thumbs-up. He finished up the prep-work for Yohan's lunch ramen, the elderly man eyeing at him with curiosity when he put in some odd looking pieces of meat. He finished up the whole bowl with a topping of chili flakes and some seaweed before serving it to the older man.

"Order up!" Sōma announced. Joichirou glanced over to his son's work admiring the fire in his eyes. It reminded him of himself when he was at that age, that was the time when he got back the fire and passion for cooking. He saw Sōma's handiwork and he couldn't help being proud at the world-class looking bowl of ramen that he made. Yohan took a sip from the bowl and immediately the old man let out a content sigh, he relaxed and ate some more.

 _"This is really light on the stomach kiddo, watchu put in it?"_ he asked with curiosity. Yohan eyed the soy based ramen that tasted just right, not too sweet and not too salty. It had the perfect balance of being something that you just had to finish while not being something that is heavy and makes you stop eating after a few sips.

"Well, a friend taught me how to make the soup lighter on the stomach by letting it simmer a little bit more and adding a few more spices to it. The chili flakes help balance out the flavor so you have a little kick in the tongue when you take a sip." he explained to the older man, Yohan took no longer to finish his meal. He let out a contented burp and laughed heartily at his nephew.

 _"You never fail to surprise me kiddo!"_ he praised the young man, patting Sōma in the back before leaving his tab with a few extra as tip.

* * *

The rest of the lunch rush was smooth sailing after that. Customers came in hungry and they weren't disappointed when they left feeling full and satisfied. Yukihira had turn into a desirable place, many significant chefs and critiques would dine in from time to time. The two Yukihira's were gladly laughing to themselves as they wiped the tables and counter tops, Joichirou gave Sōma a slap on the back after that tossing the dirty towels aside and finally loafing around at some tables to relax.

"So tell me, what's bothering you?" Joichirou interjected to his son who was sleeping, Sōma groaned awake leered over to his dad. He shrugged and tried to go back to sleep, only to get pestered by him more.

"Oh come on! I know it has something to do with you and Hisako after you guys hung out. Something happened! I knew it!" He teased, poking Sōma to annoy him further.

"Shut up Pops... Nothing happened…" Sōma groaned out, Joichirou kept teasing him until he would fess up. It took a hardhead like him to break down his son's walls when it needed to. They went back and forth until Sōma eventually told him what happened.

"Alright I give! We haven't contacted each other ever since we hung out alright? I just don't know what to say. I might make it awkward for her and all that stuff." he heard light chuckling and got punched lightly on the shoulder.

"You are such a drama queen, seriously Sōma what the hell happened to you? Man up kid! Just call her for Pete's sake!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up and letting out a sigh in exasperation.

"It's not that easy Pops, she isn't exactly dying to hear from me either..." he muttered, Joichirou got up from his seat to finish doing the dishes after that. He looked over to his shoulder and saw Sōma fiddling with his phone, contemplating if he would call Hisako.

"Just call her, trust me. She'll even scold you for not calling her sooner." he said simply, putting away the dishes and wiping his hands with a washcloth. Sōma decided get on with it and call Hisako. He ran his thumb over to her contact number and finally called the pink-haired chef.

"Ahh screw it, I hate you Pops..." he mumbled under his breath while anxiously waiting for her to pick up. He held to phone close to his ear and chewed on his bottom lip. Joichirou laughed out heartily and slapped him on the back before going upstairs to check up on Etsuko.

'What the fuck am I even going to say..." Sōma's heart skipped as he heard her pick up. He cleared his voice, and steeled himself.

'Here goes nothing…'

Hisako paced around their office on the radio station, she was in a sour mood that day. She was little bit annoyed by the fact that Sōma seems to have ignored her after they hung out.

'Why am I acting like a middle-schooler…' She groaned in frustration and plopped back down to her work desk, burying her head in her arms and sighing.

 _"Arato-san, don't get too worked up on the guy that you went out with. He'll call soon! I'm sure of it!"_ assured her co-worker, Miyo Akiyama. She glared over to her co-worker and let out a sigh, slamming her hand down on the table with a thud.

"Dammit Miyo, for the last time, we did not 'go out' like it being a date! It was just us hanging out by the movies and fooling around." she whined, Hisako sniffed into her sleeve, having contacted a cold earlier and shrugged her shoulders. Miyo giggled and walked over to her friend, lightly patting her on the shoulder.

 _"There, there, I'm sure that he might've just been busy or unsure on what he would say after that."_ she reassured Hisako with a chuckle. Hisako leered towards to her friend and then pouted.

"I really don't know why I'm acting like this myself you know? Maybe it's just hormones or mood swings, but I don't know any more Miyo!" she exclaimed with a frown, still lightly banging her head on her table. Miyo huffed and crossed her arms.

 _"Arato-san, you're phone has been buzzing like crazy since earlier and you haven't noticed it yet?"_ she pointed out, arching an eyebrow over to her friend. Hisako flushed and checked her phone, seeing that she already had around two missed calls from Sōma. She sighed and waited for him to call again.

"Oh! Miyo! He's calling! What should I do!?" she asked while panicking.

" _Honey, you're being dramatic. Just answer it."_ Miyo patted her head and urged her to just pick up her phone and get on with it. Hisako cleared her voice before answering, keeping a straight face in an attempt to not sound too desperate or weird.

[Hello Hisako? Are you there?] She heard him on the other line, Sōma's voice sounding like he was embarrassed as well. She saw Miyo laughing her head off when she couldn't answer yet. She coughed and composed herself before uttering a reply back.

"I'm here. What took you so long?" she asked, flushed in embarrassment when she let that slip out of her tongue. She winced and heard him laughing to himself at the end of the line.

[Well... Let's just say I didn't know what to say after that? Are you free today?] he then asked, Hisako glanced towards her co-worker, who gave her a thumbs-up and was now lightly hitting her on the shoulder. Miyo was gushing at her friend, trying to hide her squealing and wide-grin.

"I-I'm free today... Are you going to pick me up or should we meet somewhere?" she asked. She then heard him letting out a sigh of relief before replying.

[I'll pick you up at your office. Megumi already told me where you work at.] he chuckled on the other end. Hisako felt her ears feeling all hot to its tips and cursed Megumi from under her breath.

"Wait! Y-You're really coming here?!" Hisako exclaimed, holding the phone away from her ear and mouthing something to Miyo.

"He's coming here!" Hisako said in a low whisper. The blonde woman raised an eyebrow towards her friend and cocked her head to the side.

[Hello? Hisako? How about we just meet up at the park square?] He then suggested,

"That's fine…" Hisako hummed in response and shut off her phone.

'What's gotten into me now…' she sighed, trying to calm down her fast-beating heart.

 _"What was that?! He was so excited to see you!"_ Miyo groaned at her friend, rubbing her temples and scolding Hisako some more. She looked over to her friend with a pout.

"Oh don't give me that, it's embarrassing to let him see where I work! Plus I look so haggard, I'll need to freshen up before I got out again…" she whined, Hisako rested her head in her arms, yawning in exhaustion. Miyo chuckled at her misfortune, giving her some time to freshen up in the bathroom before Hisako would leave.

 _"I really want to meet this Sōma person one day, just to see what kind of person he is."_ she giggled out loud towards Hisako who just came out of the bathroom. Hisako shyly nodded and turned her heel before bowing towards Miyo.

"S-See you tomorrow then..." she mumbled before leaving their office. Miyo gave her a one-finger salute and grinned at her friend, wishing her all the best.

 _"Don't forget to bring protection! You never know when Mr. Right becomes frisky!"_ Miyo hollered out, throwing out a condom to Hisako. She blushed beet-red and threw it back to Miyo hitting the blonde woman in the nose. Hisako then made her way towards the door while trying to shake off what Miyo just did.

'That woman is just so bold…'

" _Honey, are you sure you don't want to bring one?"_ Miyo teased her again on her way out.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" She yelled before slamming the door close.

* * *

They met at the park square not soon after. Hisako saw Sōma playing with a bunch of kids before their eyes met. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both not knowing what to say.

"I missed you-" they said in unison. Both were flushed and turned away from looking at the other. Sōma was the first one to break the tension of awkwardness by laughing it out Hisako had a small smile herself as she sat down with him on the bench.

"So what's up with you lately? I haven't heard from you after we hung out, were you too confused on how to handle Etsuko? _"_ teased Hisako with a sly grin playing on her lips. Sōma scratched the back of his head and chuckled, embarrassed to admit that she was right.

"Sorry for that. I really didn't know what to say then after that. Me and Etsuko are doing fine, thank you very much. I happen to be improving in the whole 'parenting' department if I do say so myself." He stuck out his tongue at her and teased back.

"So… How's the radio talk-show thing going for you?" Sōma asked, trying to lighten up the mood around them.

"Well… Apart from my nagging co-worker and friend, it's going pretty good!" Hisako chirped, telling him stories about the time that she and Miyo went out for drinks and that she had to call Miyo's boyfriend to pick her up after the blonde woman was passed out drunk.

"By the way, who's watching Etsuko?" it was Hisako's turn to ask, wondering why Sōma would often leave without having anyone to take care of his daughter.

"Don't worry, Pops is watching her. You know… I've been thinking…" Sōma pondered for a while, contemplating if he should say his next words or not.

"Thinking about what?" Hisako asked in curiosity, eyeing at his awkward body language.

"Well, you remember the movie that we watched a couple of days ago?" Sōma brought up the cheesy chick-flick that they watched, earning him a distasteful look from Hisako.

"And what about it?"

"Well, you remember that part of the movie where the guy and the girl didn't end up being together like those cliché moments?" Hisako looked at Sōma with much curiosity and stifled a laugh, earning her a deadpan look from the young man.

"I'm sorry… It's just not like you to ask silly things like that." Hisako admitted, lightly chuckling at Sōma. The young man scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and laughed along with her.

"Anyway, I was wondering about that. Later in the movie we found out that they wound up being together in the end, right?" he smiled, a weird one Hisako thought.

"I'm not sure where this is going, but yeah... What about it?" Hisako then saw the different look in Sōma's eyes and immediately she backed up.

"Sōma… Whatever it is that you're feeling you should stop." She bit the bottom of her lip when she saw Sōma visibly wince. She saw his down casted look and she felt guilty, seeing his frown.

'Why am I so dumb…' Sōma had a tight line on his lips before curling it up into a small smile.

"Hey it's fine! Don't worry about it, I'll be fine!" he feigned cheerfulness, only to get a pitying look across from Hisako.

"Sōma…" Hisako reached out to him, the young man immediately backed away. Sōma groaned out and scolded himself after that. Hisako tried to reach out to him, only for Sōma to move back when she tried to explain or get near him.

"Look, I'm sorry for bringing that stupid stuff up. I guess I was just fogged up you know?" Sōma said with a defeated look on his face. Hisako didn't know what to say, but instead of letting her close friend walk away feeling sad, the young woman embraced him.

"I know that circumstances won't really allow us being together… But you know… I kinda wish we could've made it work…" she finished and felt him stiffening under her. Sōma breathed in her scent and embraced Hisako back, giving into his worries.

The two of them were silent then, opting for casual conversations after that instead of dabbling into personal matters.

'It's better this way…' Hisako reminded herself. Sōma needed to heal, but she couldn't give him that if she would already give into her feelings with him.

'Maybe this was how she felt back then when I chose Erina…' Sōma reminisced the times where his time cooking with Hisako was lessened as Erina and him grew closer. The two were hurting inside, not all people with chemistry end up being together.

Eventually they reached to a stop that Hisako let them both to. Sōma awed at the orange skies that signaled for night time to come soon. Hisako's bright pink hair was further accentuated by the soft sunlight that danced across the spacious viewpoint. She rested her elbows onto the railings and sighed out in content.

"Sōma, I want you to be honest with me…" Hisako faced him with a small smile gracing her features. Sōma was taken aback by her beauty.

"W-What is it?" the young man asked back with curiosity and feeling the tension in the air.

"If we were to try things out… Do you think that we could make it work?"

"It's not a question of whether or not things would work out… It's about if we're both willing to make it work together." He said wisely, earning him a pat on the head from her and another embrace.

"You really are my best friend…" she smiled, happy that she finally got her answer. It didn't mean that they would try it out, but it was to show that Sōma was mature enough to understand her point earlier.

"I have something left I need to do." He said out of the blue, earning him a confused look from Hisako.

"What is it?"

"I want to go to that Christmas village in Europe that Erina and I wanted to take Etsuko to…" he fondly smiled, remembering the promise that he made with Erina that they would take a quiet vacation there when he got home from America. It was a painful reminder that he didn't get to do with his wife.

"Do you plan on taking Etsuko or is this just something that you need to do for yourself?" Hisako asked, somewhat already knowing the answer.

"I need to say goodbye for real. I don't think that Etsuko should come with me since it's so far and I don't want her getting irritated in a suddenly new environment." Sōma cried out, sobbing into her shoulder. He poured out all the pain that he felt. All the anguish that built up while he was busy trying to ignore the pressure that built up inside him.

Sōma broke down and realized that he still wasn't healing. The wounds that were left from his late wife were still fresh in his mind. It constantly pained him that he was living each day without her.

* * *

A dim light hung over the bar of 7th Heaven. Yohan was cleaning various glasses and constantly refilling platelets of nuts for the customers that night. He frowned upon seeing his nephew, troubled and clearly needing some advice. Sōma was hunched over the counter, hands over his heads and sighing deeply, in a trance-like state that seemed to give off the vibe that he needed someone to tell him to cool off. Yohan gave another worried glance at his nephew before hovering over to the young man in deep thought.

 _"What's eatin' ya kiddo?"_ he asked silently, Sōma turned to him and gave a bitter dark chuckle. He looked back at his uncle with softened eyes and looked back at the counter in an attempt to hide.

'Ye looked just like your father when he lost Meiko…' Yohan frowned, reminiscing the days wherein Joichirou would drink himself into oblivion while in deep pain from his wife's death. The older man huff a sigh and waited for his nephew to continue.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're so lost, Uncle?" he promptly asked.

 _"W-Well... Can't say I haven't been there..."_

"How do you let go of someone that you love so much…" Sōma wiped away his stray tears, clutching his heart and feeling the rending that was going on inside. Yohan hadn't replied yet, waiting for him to finish before he could give out advice of his own.

"It was going so well… But then I was so stupid that I still went through with going on my trip overseas for the Goddamn competition…" Sōma downed his glass of whiskey and shrugged.

" _Kiddo, your father was in the same exact spot back then when he left for some time for himself overseas…"_ Yohan patted his nephew's shoulder and took back the glass of whiskey from Sōma's hand. He gently pried it away from the young man and sat down with him.

" _How about you take a li'l trip? You know, keep yer mind offa' things?"_ the older man suggested.

Back then, Yohan was the one to console Joichirou when Meiko, Sōma's mother, had just died. He was so shattered at the time, that Joichirou overworked himself to the point of exhaustion to keep his mind off of his late wife. Yohan felt that it was his duty to steer his nephew and guide him while he could.

"That reminds me, do you know where the Christmas Village is, Uncle?" Sōma asked, wanting to remember the place in Europe that he and Erina dreamed of visiting after he left for overseas.

" _Hmmm, I can't say I remember Kiddo… How 'bout you ask yer o'l Pop? Maybe he knows about it?"_

It then dawned to Sōma that it was already getting late. He quickly glanced at the time and nearly had a heart attack when he checked his phone.

'Yikes… Ten missed calls and seven texts from Takumi and Megumi…' he then chuckled inwardly and texted back a quick 'sorry' to the two.

"I'll be going now, Uncle! Thanks for the talk!" Sōma billed out his tab and left a few extra hugging his surrogate uncle before leaving in a light jog back home.

After reaching Yukihira at around nine o' clock, Sōma went inside to see Joichirou finishing up the dishes after eating his dinner. The older man raised an eyebrow towards his son and sighed, pulling up a seat to invite Sōma to talk.

"Listen up kid, I already know what happened. Hisako told me." Joichirou saw the slight cross of hurt in the look on Sōma's face.

"T-Then… Do you know the place I'm looking for?" Sōma asked, his resolve faltering when he reconsidered Etsuko. It would be bad for infants to leave out of the country he was simply not able to take care of Etsuko while he left.

"It's in Switzerland. Saint Gallen, I went there back then when your Mom passed away." Joichirou revealed, feeling a mild headache from the time. Sōma had an 'o' forming in his mouth along with a sad smile with his father.

"You too, huh? You know, I was a lot like you when I couldn't get over your Mom passing away. I wanted to keep my mind off of things back then. I searched far and wide for a quiet place somewhere that I could escape to. Luckily your Mom was an avid fan of travel magazines and that was when I saw Saint Gallen." Joichirou quipped, getting an embarrassed smile and shrug from his son.

"It's something I wanted to do for Erina… Maybe in a way… This is finally saying goodbye?" Sōma admitted. In going there he felt that he could finally let go of his burdens. Even if he couldn't fully let go of Erina, she was someone that he would go to the ends of the earth with. She was the girl that made him feel complete. Without her, he felt like a lost boy who had just lost his mother and guide.

"Then I'm with you. Take the time off, I can easily manage Yukihira while you're out. Plus, Gin owes me one so I'll get help running the orders while you're out." Joichirou encouraged his son with a huge grin. Sōma was elated and hugged his dad, thanking him over and over again as he felt the surge of happiness bubbling inside.

"But how about Etsuko… I can't bring her, Hisako and the gang would kill me if I stress my baby out." He immediately wanted to reconsider, fearing that he wouldn't be there again for his daughter when she needed him. Joichirou smacked his son in the back of the head and reassured him again.

"Hisako already called, she told every one of your friends. They're supporting you, Sōma. They want you to find peace for yourself." Joichirou mentioned the pink haired young woman again.

'Jeez, I'm still being babied around by your best friend, huh Erina?' he chuckled to himself, wanting to already thank his close friend for understanding him even though he felt like he didn't deserve to be.

"Be sure to thank her, alright? Oh and by the way, let's stop over your Mom's grave. You gotta come with me and Etsuko so don't plan anything for tomorrow."

"Alright, Pops! Thanks again!"

That night, Sōma felt the surge of support from his family and friends. All of them were so willing to help him that he couldn't think of a way to repay them. He wanted to, and he planned on to once he got back from his trip. He pulled out his laptop from up his room and went to see the ticket prices as well as hotel bookings.

"Hey there Etsuko… Papa's going on a trip!" he muttered towards the sleeping infant in her little cot. He kissed his baby daughter before going back to work on his flight bookings, texting his friends and thanking them along the way after he received calls and texts from them.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ Hey there! So I've been lately dabbling about Joichirou and Sōma's mom lately, haven't I? So because of that, I might do a series of mini-fic chapters about them after I'm done with this story. Be sure to check it out when it comes! Don't forget to leave a review and favorite/follow me and my story! Thanks again.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey there! This chapter has been severely revamped since last time you read it. I added more and replaced a lot of things here since I'm properly re-arranging my story and whatnot. Hope you enjoy reading! Don't forget to follow/favorite and review if you loved my work!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Strings of Fate

* * *

 _Saint Gallen, Switzerland…_

Across the world, there's another bird trapped in a cage. She longs for the day that her captor would let her go and let her be happy out in the open world, but like Erina, her father had plans for his daughter. Atra Iwatani, a young woman with a kind heart and beauty to match, has been in a cage that her father kept her in ever since her mother had passed away. The woman was taught to be perfect, she had every skill that you would find on a prim and proper young woman, but her heart lied elsewhere. The young woman's heart yearned for something that she could not only read in her favorite novels or movies. She yearned to be finally free one day, to start again and build a life for herself without having anyone to tell her what to do or say.

"Emma… Do you ever feel like there's something just 'out' there waiting for you to realize and discover one day?" Atra asked out of the blue while she and her longtime friend, Emma Kiener, had been walking home from work.

"I don't know where this is going, but for the sake of having a conversation… Why do you think so?" Emma smiled as she watched her friend go off into specific details on how going out of the country or even starting her own business was so exciting.

It was around November at the time, as the cold autumn air blew past the two women. The trees have long since shed their leaves and are now preparing for the chilling winters. After all, Saint Gallen in Switzerland is a famous place for tourist this season. Atra looked around and saw the numerous couples holding hands in the cold, plenty of them were having the time of their lives as they saw the Christmas decorations being hung up along with the numerous stalls of eggnog, Saint Nicholas figurines for sale, even the ski resort there had been booming already.

"Hello? Earth to Atra, you're spacing out again, honey." Emma chuckled. Atra's dark pink hair fluttered from the chilly breeze that kept on blowing past the two of them. They decided to stop by a pub nearby to warm themselves up, it would be bad if they continued to walk home in that weather.

"What were you thinking about earlier, honey?" Emma was Atra's senior and also role model while the two of them were growing up. A young Atra was often bullied for being Japanese in their elementary school back then, being teased for her hair color, plenty of girls and boys made fun of the poor girl. Thankfully for Atra, she met Emma, a kind hearted girl that was a year older than her. She saw Emma as the older sister that she never had, often even getting into banters with the older woman because of her sudden flightiness and attitude towards her father's pressuring ways.

"I was just thinking… If I suddenly try and run away from home, would Dad still find me?" Atra had hopeful eyes, wanting to hear her friend agreeing with her since Emma was the only one who knew about how strict her father was at her when she was growing up. Emma placed her hands onto her friends shoulder while they were still waiting for their orders.

"Honey, listen… I don't want to be the bearer of bad news… But you're kinda an important person at your father's company, plus I would get fired if that old coot finds out that I encouraged you to go out and have a grand adventure." The younger woman frowned and nodded, still unwilling to accept the fact that she was more or less stuck in Saint Gallen.

'Maybe I can convince him…' Atra thought when their orders arrived.

After paying their bill, the storm soon subsided and they were left with a beautiful sight of powdered snow that covered the roofs of the houses and buildings there. The people had already finished hanging up the Christmas decorations outside of their establishments. The soft glow of them illuminated the night and brought a winter wonderland to the satisfied tourists and locals.

Seeing a shooting star flying by the night sky, the young woman along with many other tourists and locals saw it. She rubbed her eyes at first to find out if she was dreaming or not, but she wasn't. Ever since she was a little girl, she always wanted to wish upon a shooting star just to see if it was real, her mother always told her that miracles are constantly happening and being made around the world every day. Atra clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, wishing her most favorite fantasy to come true one day.

"Please, let me be free one day… I don't want to stay here forever being told to what to do by my Dad…" she muttered in deep thought. Emma smiled towards her friend and joined her in on wishing.

"Tall handsome stud… Tall young and single handsome stud… Tall young and single handsome stud that will date me…" the older woman repeated over and over. Atra and Emma laughed out loud at each other's ridiculous wishes, hoping that one of them would come true one day.

"They're out there, you know?" Emma encouraged Atra with a wink while they parted ways. Atra held out her palm as a lone snowflake fell gently on her gloves. She smiled and looked up at the numerous stars in the sky that night.

"I kinda wish that they'd come sooner…" she whined, fishing out her keys from her coat.

* * *

Sōma woke up at the sound of crickets in the dawn. Numerous months have passed since he planned on going to Saint Gallen in Switzerland. The young Yukihira already packed his suitcase the night before and was readying to leave, sending numerous texts to his friends that he'll be going soon. Peering on his baby daughters crib, the red-haired chef grinned at Etsuko and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead, caressing her cheeks and muttering sweet words to her that he'll be back soon. He laughed to himself and thought about how lucky he was to have such a sweet girl like her. Taking a deep breath to take in the scent of his room, he smiled inwardly before getting out of his room.

'Erina… Today's the day that I'll fulfill our dream of going to that Christmas Village…' he put their wedding rings on a chain necklace ever since Erina passed away. He grabbed onto the two bands and kissed them lovingly before going downstairs.

Joichirou held out a mug of hot coffee for his son with a grin plastered on his face. He saw a little bit of himself in his son way back when he was younger. Sōma reminded Joichirou of that drive that he had when he was younger - that passion to cook better each day for the ones that you hold dear in your heart.

"Hey, you think you can handle yourself out there? It's a pretty cold place around this time so be sure to bring your coat when going out." He reminded his son with a fond grin on his face, remembering back his memories from his years of travelling different countries.

"Jeez Pops, I think I already know that about now. I did postpone this trip numerous times since Etsuko had her numerous doctors check up's along with those frustrating paperwork that I had to deal with…" Sōma whined out, Joichirou walked over to him and ruffled his hair, slapping him hard on the back after a hearty laugh.

"Alright my boy, out of the country you go!" he hollered proudly, calling Sōma a cab. The cab arrived not long after, even at this time of dawn there were still drivers that are already on duty. Sōma climbed aboard the cab and with a last high-five and grin to his dad. The driver was a nice old man that had greying hair all over his head. He looked at his rear-view mirror and gave Sōma a happy nod.

" _Where to, sonny?"_ he asked politely, asking Sōma to buckle in his seatbelt after. Sōma smiled back at him and told him that he needed to get to the airport to catch his flight in a few hours.

"Oh, just towards the airport please." Sōma quipped.

" _So… What's the trip for? Visiting a friend?"_ the old man initiated a conversation, bringing a big smile on Sōma's face while he recounted the times that he and Erina planned on going to the Christmas Village in Saint Gallen.

"Oh it's nothing much Oji-san… It's just that me and my wife dreamt of going there together after I got back from my trip overseas… Sadly I'm the only one going since she passed away months ago…" Sōma frowned. The older man kept silent for a while before letting out a sigh oh his own.

" _I know it's tough, Sonny. Believe me it gets better when you have your friends and family there for you. So chin up! There's plenty of life left for you to enjoy!"_ He chuckled, popping the dashboard of the cab to let Sōma see the various trips that he made around the world. Numerous pictures filled the small compartment, fishing trips, camping trips, and even a picture of him and his son in what seems to be a holiday themed village covered in snow.

"Oji-san… This picture, did you go to Saint Gallen back then as well?" Sōma asked in curiosity while he brought up the picture closer to the old man's eyes.

" _That's right, Sonny! My son's been recently busy with his job, because he wants to start a family with his lady friend. I'm glad to have had those numerous journeys with him. I keep those old photos close to my heart since it reminds me of our crazy adventures!"_ he laughed heartily, they reached the airport no soon after. Sōma tipped generously for the old man's advice as well as crazy stories while they drove to the airport. The old man refused the tip since he said that he also had a great time driving Sōma there.

"Come on, Pops, take it please? Just to get early breakfast you know?" he insisted, but the old man huffed and stayed stubborn at the young man, crossing his arms and looking at him and a small smile on his face.

" _Sonny, I don't need the money. Just go use it on your little o'l adventure! Go, have fun! This old man has already got more than what he can ask for."_ He reassured the younger man. Sōma frowned a little before thanking him again.

"Thank you again Oji-san, by the way can I ask your name?" he smiled gratefully at the older man who chuckled and introduced himself.

" _The name's Hiroyuki Katsumoto!"_ the older man replied. Sōma smiled back at him and thanked the man for his time.

"Katsumoto-san, when we see each other again, how about we go for some drinks?" the red-haired chef teased while he got out his suitcases from the trunk of the cab. He set them down easily on the floor and got to Hiroyuki who was looking at him with a grin on his face.

" _I'd like that Sonny, drop by 'round these parts again if you need a cab! Katusmoto Hiroyuki is always at your service!"_ he grinned before getting back inside his cab, waving off the young man who entered the airport terminal.

'This is it huh, Erina… I'm finally going to see the Christmas Village.' Sōma took in it all before continuing to find his flight. He got there a little bit earlier thanks to Hiroyuki, seeing a nearby food stall, he decided to take a break to eat breakfast first.

On board his plane, Sōma looked out the window on his seat wistfully. It was another one of the few occasions where he would contemplate the next move that he would make. It wasn't that deep of a thought, but trip is for Erina; not to just forget, but he also had to move on with his life.

"I wonder if the place looks as enchanting like it is on the pictures…" he whispered, falling into a nap, the weariness of his eyes begged him to close them for the rest of the trip.

* * *

*Dream Sequence*

In a blissful dream he was whisked off. Sōma looked around at his surroundings and walked towards the oblivion of darkness that wrapped the world around him. His eyes were lit up by the blanket of endless stars above his head, they were gleaming. He continued to walk around aimlessly after a while, eventually reaching a hilltop that had a nice patch of green grass growing as the big tree held a swing for him to sit on.

"Hey…" he smiled and turned around upon hearing Erina's voice from behind him. Sōma walked over to his wife, Erina was wearing a white sundress and was barefooted against the non-existent wet ground that rippled each step that they make. She giggled upon seeing his confused reaction, splashing him with the mysterious water. Sōma deadpanned at his wife, quickly wiping off the wetness from his face.

"I missed you." She hugged him and he wrapped his arms around her lithe frame to breathe in her scent, burying his head on the crook of her neck.

"I wish I could be with you every day. I just want you back…" Sōma admitted, pressing his forehead onto hers. He was crying. He felt the tears streaming down his face when he felt her presence and warmth once more.

"I'm sorry… Were you lonely?" Erina asked and Sōma nodded guilty. He had a small frown on his face when he saw Erina having a pained expression on her face while shit nibbled on her lower lip. She held his hands, leading him off somewhere. Erina and Sōma reminisced about their times together while they walked, recalling their special 'firsts' with each other.

"I still remember the priceless reaction that everyone had when we told them that we're pregnant." He poked fun at her earning him a slap on the shoulder by his wife.

"H-Hey! You were the one that said you wanted a baby!" Erina defended, pouting as her husband continued to tease her.

They kept talking and walking on the dock that stretched towards the horizon. The two, hand-in-hand silently enjoyed the comfort of each other. Sōma reveled at the beauty of the world around him, but was only more enchanted by his wife whenever she would sneak glances at him.

"I don't know who I am anymore, Erina." He huffed and sat on the dock. Erina did the same and sat next to him, gently wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her husband. She turned his face towards her and kissed him, silencing Sōma in his deep thought for a moment.

"Hey, you're the bravest man I know. You're the one who thawed out my frozen heart, I love you Sōma Yukihira. Please don't forget that. You're the amazing guy who help me defeat my father and the Elite Ten council back then, the love of my life and the man that I'm blessed to have married and had a beautiful child with." She looked at him, her amethyst eyes meeting his golden ones and immediately his golden eyes softened at her touch.

"I'm not all those great things, Erina… I'm weak, I'm selfish, and I make stupid choices that end up hurting the people I love the most…" Sōma looked down on his feet, balling his hands into tight fists as he continued to scold himself for ever leaving Erina. Erina hugged him from behind and reassured him that it's all okay now.

"Hey… Don't be so down, I love you and I never for one second, ever blamed you for not being there with me sooner. I was just happy then that you made it, so please stop blaming yourself." Erina was so gentle towards him. A part of Sōma wanted to stay with her forever, but he knew he couldn't since it was all a dream. She laced her fingers unto his and had a small smile on her face.

"I'm going to Saint Gallen, Erina. I wanted you to know… Since, I think it'll help me find myself." He whispered on her ear. Erina looked at him, surprised and had a proud smile on her face she giggled and gently laid his head on her lap.

"You remembered that? You know when I think about it, I really didn't want to go there that badly. I was probably caught up in the romantic moment when we were watching that movie." Erina chuckled at the stunned Sōma.

"And here I am going there thinking that you'd be happy knowing that I can finally see that Christmas Village you were gushing about." Her husband teased with his signature grin.

Erina looked at him and gently planted a kiss on his lips. She played with his hair and hummed a soft tune that calmed Sōma's tense body.

"Oh you… Always being so needy of me, what am I going to do with you?" Erina smiled and put her hands on her hips, puffing her cheeks and pinching Sōma's in the process.

"You know, in another life… Maybe I could remember my memories of this one and find you. I'd find you in the multiple infinites just to fall for you again… And probably to make you say again how good my cooking is." Sōma then passionately kissed her, hugging her as if she would go away again. Erina was blushing at the beautiful words that had escaped her husband's lips. She gave him a peck on the cheek before nestling his heat onto her chest.

"Then I'll make you a promise. I'll tie a red knot onto my pinky finger when we do meet again in the second life."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The blanket of stars above them was slowly replaced by the heat of dawn. Daybreak had cracked the once darkened skies with traces of light blue and red-orange skies. Sōma felt that it was time that he woke up and was time for them to part again. He looked at Erina's amethyst eyes and silently nodded, embracing her one last time before he would go.

"See you when I see you, I love you Erina." He whispered, standing up and kissing his wife on top of her head. A magical white door appeared before him that had a heart-shaped knob on it. He saw over to his shoulder Erina smiling sweetly at him, playfully swinging her legs onto the cold water that sent a multitude of ripples on the imaginary water.

"I love you! See you again when I see you!" she waved back.

Sōma smiled, a newfound strength had filled him. He slowly turned the knob of the white door and there he was, stirring awake from his peaceful slumber.

*End of dream sequence*

* * *

 **"ALL** **PASSENGERS, PLEASE WAIT ON STANDBY AS WE ARE PREPARING TO LAND. THANK YOU FOR TRAVELLING WITH JAPAN AIRLINES."**

He got out as soon as they landed at the airport. Sōma dragged his suitcase with him and was fascinated by the airport. It was surrounded by a huge patch of greenery. Something he had never seen before on airports. He continued towards outside the airport terminal, looking for a cab. A raven-haired man noticed Sōma and curiously walked over to the red-haired chef.

" _You're Japanese aren't you?"_ he asked, Sōma nodded and saw the guy sighing in relief. The man then smiled at Sōma and offered his assistance to the young man.

"Are you also Japanese?" Sōma asked back towards the older man.

" _You bet! Do_ _you know some English?"_ he asked as he grabbed a cab for Sōma.

"Well I'm a little bit rusty, but I should be fine I guess?" Sōma chuckled embarrassingly.

The raven-haired fellow then saw him shuffling awkwardly. Sōma hadn't thought this through, all the signs and buildings had strange letters on them, he could read a few English words, but that alone wouldn't be much help.

" _Damn, alright stay here. I'll call my tour guide friend so he can help you out."_ The raven-haired man then walked away, phone in hand. Sōma was a little bit tense, to be honest he didn't know who the man was, how was he supposed to trust him? He gave the man the benefit of the doubt and patiently waited.

"Hey, what's your name?" Sōma asked out of the blue while waiting for the man.

 _"The_ _name's Taiga Asakura."_ Said the old man on his side, he stretched his hand to give Sōma a formal handshake after introducing himself.

"I'm Sōma, Sōma Yukihira."

" _What brings you around these parts? I haven't seen a Japanese come here in over half a decade."_ Asked the gruff man, Sōma turned to him and stared for a bit. He seemed fairly old and had traces of white hair running along the sides of his hair, his short beard also made him look rugged and old.

"I came here on my own just to get a little sight-seeing done before I go back in a week."

" _Well would you look at that. Anyway there's your guide kid. Be sure to not fuck around with the folk here, they're pretty nice, but you know the Swiss can really put up a fist fight as good as the Irish when talking about that football thing they watch on television."_ Taiga guffawed, slapping Sōma hard on the back before setting him off.

They parted ways and the gruff man earlier gave Sōma a charm bracelet for their short meeting. It was a small trinket that he decided to wear. He thanked the old man for his help and got onto the car the he hollered for. The Taiga smiled at him back and wished for his safe travels.

" _I never knew Japanese people still visited this place. What brings you here?"_ asked curiously by the cab driver. The cab driver was fairly young, no older than twenty eight from what Sōma could tell. The man peered over to Sōma and smiled at him.

" _Relax. We're not running some shady scheme here. We just want to help out fellow countrymen who wound up taking a trip here. Some people around here sucker in tourists, so we want to do our bit to help those who might need us. Lucky for you that Asakura-san was there."_

"I'm just staying for the week. Do you know where my hotel is?" asked Sōma, the man slightly frowned and huffed, pointing towards a large building on the city.

" _You know, you could be friendlier? Asakura-san even gave you that bracelet, don't be so distrusting of people that just want to help alright?"_ frowned the man towards him.

"I'm sorry, I just have plenty of stuff in my mind right now… I'm sorry again for being so rude at first. My name is Sōma, Sōma Yukihira."

" _Well then Yukihira-san, take this with you."_

The man pulled a card from his wallet and gave it to Sōma, a calling card. Sōma got out of the cab when they arrived at his hotel. He tried to pay for the cab, but was stopped in his tracks when the man smiled at him and shook his head.

" _Keep the money. Let's go out for drinks sometimes. I'll show you around when you're not too busy. Asakura-san told me to show you around, remember?"_

"What's your name by the way?" Sōma asked, the young man with brown curly hair grinned at him and outstretched his hand, revealing a matching bracelet like the one that Asakura-san gave him.

" _The name's Victor Licht, at your service!"_ Sōma's mouth gaped a little and wondered how the man knew Japanese while having a foreign look and a European name.

The young man chuckled and drove off. Sōma shook his head and laughed.

'What an unexpected day.' He thought, first he didn't have a clue on what he was doing or where he was going, now he finds a strange man that speaks Japanese fluently but isn't exactly Japanese from what he can tell.

"Saint Gallen, huh… Let's see what you have to offer." He grinned as he got inside his hotel.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ Alright so here's where the plot kind of differs from the story previously. Back then I didn't get to mention Atra properly, so I decided to redo that whole bit and those chapters so that they would be better to read.**

 **Hoped you enjoyed it! Also if you haven't noticed yet… The story's overhaul is about as re-done as much as it can get. I was a bit fazed when I realized that almost 80% of the original content here was re-done.**


	7. Chapter 6

**A:N/ Here there! Anyway so this marks the 7th chapter that I've already edited (The prologue counts as a chapter so I kinda get confused sometimes on the number xD) If you have read the beta-versions of these chapters (I call them beta versions since they were unedited) You'll appreciate these more since it's better to read. Like seriously, the amount of difference that I made was night and day. Review if you can!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Days in Saint Gallen

* * *

Sōma wandered around the city on his first day. He stopped by on numerous little trinket stores, examining the knick-knacks that were being sold. The young man chuckled when he saw matching sets of trinkets, buying them for his friends when he gets home.

'I haven't eaten yet haven't I?' he thought to himself, looking around for anything that sells food. On the other side of the street, he saw numerous food stalls, little carts that sold bread along with other pastries and hot drinks. Sōma couldn't help but smile whenever he would see small food stands like those, it reminded him of the time that he and Megumi along with their friends, rushed like crazy to catch up with Terunori and his Chinese RS's stall.

"Let me get two, croissants and a hot coffee please." He spoke in English towards the baker. The old man smiled warmly at him and handed him his morning breakfast, nodding to Sōma before the young man would leave.

Sōma walked along the streets of Saint Gallen, utterly amazed at the European style of the buildings that were covered with snow. Sōma would occasional stop over when people ask to take a picture with him, the here people have recognized him as the winner of B.L.U.E. He finished his breakfast and made his way towards the tourist attractions there.

First off on his list was the Saint Gallen Cathedral, just in time before the oración would start. He gasped upon entering the humungous cathedral, paying his respects by bowing and sitting silently by the numerous unoccupied seats there. Light had peered onto the tainted glass of the church, illuminating the whole place and giving off an enchanting feeling, it was almost as if Sōma was inside a magical castle.

"Enchanting isn't it?" asked a woman with short dark pink hair and striking verdant green eyes. Sōma yelped a little, but was dumbfounded when the woman beside him smiled in a way someone would when they meet their significant other. He was captivated by her beauty that he didn't noticed himself that he was already staring. The distinct hair, her kind smile and also those breathtaking verdant green eyes that stared at him back, twinkled with curiosity. He snapped out of his reverie and quickly covered his mouth to hide the creeping blush on his face.

"Sorry, I must have startled you. I'm Atra Iwatani. I frequently go to this church whenever I feel down or need to take a break from all the negative stuff that keeps on happening." She smiled and outstretched her hand towards Sōma's.

"Oh, I'm Sōma Yukihira! Are by chance also Japanese, Iwatani-san?" he asked.

"Oh my, it's been so long since I've spoken to another Japanese." She giggled, replying back in Japanese. Sōma scratched the back of his head and had a goofy grin on his face.

"So what brings you here in Saint Gallen, Yukihira-san?" she tilted her head, trying to think up of reasons why he would take a vacation there.

"To find peace-" Sōma replied back with a confident smile on his face. Atra looked dissatisfied with his answer, only bringing to her another confused stare towards the red-haired young man.

"To find peace?" she repeated, still lost at his words. Sōma put a hand on his chin and sat in silence for a minute, debating on whether he should tell the whole story to this stranger that he just met.

"My mind's just bugged up with plenty of things. I wanted to take a break here for a while… So here I am."

There was a tug in his chest that he felt tightening. He imagined how impressed Erina would've been if she had only been here. She loved quiet and mysterious places like the cathedral he was currently in. The tainted glass shimmered with the light and illuminated the place with various pretty colors.

"Well, I hope you find peace in our quaint city, Yukihira-san. I'll be going now." Atra bowed to him, pulling out her phone to answer the call that was ringing through. Sōma didn't get a chance to properly say goodbye to her, realizing that he just hummed in response to her previous other questions earlier when he spaced out.

Sōma was in silence again. He overheard some tourists, but paid them no mind while he was sitting there, praying silently.

"Maybe if somehow, things work out and I do find peace… I hope that I can be the best father to Etsuko…"

* * *

Outside the cathedral, it was lightly snowing. Sōma let out a breath of relief when he exited the large building, looking around for the next stop on his tour in Saint Gallen. A strong gust of wind and snow filled the air and it sent chills down Sōma's spine. He looked around for a nearby café to go to, wanting to take shelter from the chilling cold bite of the weather.

"Chocolaterie Koelbener Café Pelikan…" he read out the sign of the café in front of him, a quaint shop that he saw being featured years ago in various magazines. Sōma went inside the store and immediately, the smell of roasted coffee along with freshly baked pastries filled his nostrils.

"Yikes, I just ate and now I'm feeling hungry again." He muttered, heading over the counter to place his order. He looked over their menu and wondered what he would get.

'Something light… But filling enough so that I wouldn't get too hungry later on…' he then opted to go for the shop's apple strudel.

"One apple strudel and a cappuccino please" he smiled at the cashier. He was lucky enough to get the last piece of the famous apple strudel. After looking around for a table to sit on, he saw Atra hunched over her seat looking as if the world around her was crumbling.

'I probably shouldn't…' Sōma debated on whether he would sit next to her or leave her alone.

"Ahh screw it." Eventually after much thinking, he decided to quietly place down his tray beside her and waited until she noticed him, grinning while he heard her ranting and muttering.

"Honestly! How incompetent can you be to not even know your own staff!" she whined out, suddenly surprising Sōma when she slammed her hand down onto the table in frustration.

"Woah there… Easy now, Iwatani-san, people are staring." Sōma teased, immediately getting a yelp and a hard slap across the face. It was a good thing that only a few people were left in the café, but it didn't wipe off the look of surprise from both Sōma and Atra who stared at each other with their eyes wide open. Sōma whistled to ease the tension, rubbing his cheek and looking around awkwardly then back at Atra who was red in embarrassment.

"I didn't expect to see you here…" she muttered, Sōma arched an eyebrow towards the woman while silently judging her as he ate his apple strudel.

"I didn't expect that you wouldn't apologize after that hard slap." He deadpanned, hearing her light giggling and eventually uncontrolled laughter.

"Oh my goodness where are my manners, I am so sorry!" she wheezed out in between her laughter. Sōma couldn't take her seriously and influenced by her cute laugh, he even found himself laughing along with the woman.

"Is that your usual way of greeting people here? Or is surprising you out of nowhere cause those reactions?" Sōma asked lightly, finishing his apple strudel and taking a sip from his cappuccino.

"You'd be surprised with how many people I've slapped previously. There was this one time when I was interning for my Dad's company, I slapped my senior so hard that I partially knocked off his toupee." Sōma laughed out loud while imagining the look of surprise from that guy's face.

The two of them exchanged stories, laughing at each other's misfortunes. Probably the weirdest story that Sōma heard from Atra was when she was cooking, she nearly burned their house down when she tried to bake a pie.

"Seriously? I mean is it that hard to cook?" Sōma teased, earning him a playful slap on the shoulder in retaliation.

"Hey! I was fourteen! That was my first time trying to bake…" Atra defended.

"Yeah, and I was nine when I started helping my Pops in our family Diner." He shot back with a grin. Atra put two things together and realized that he was a chef, it explain his calloused hands and stories from his school that seemed to have focused on cooking.

"Ohh! So that's why you went to that culinary school when you were fifteen…" Atra murmured, seeing a thumbs-up from beside her.

"That's right! I eventually reached the first seat on the Elite Ten council on my freshmen year." He bragged, remembering the grueling match wherein he and Erina were pitted against Eishi and Rindō.

"What's that? I mean what does getting the first seat mean?" she asked, utterly lost at his terminology.

"It basically means that I'm the best chef in the whole school. You see, in our former school, things worked differently." He explained to Atra, earning him a head tilt and a confused stare.

"What do you mean? Like you're the student council president?"

"No, much more than that. I used to have power to control what happens in the school, I could even expel students or request for an immediate delivery of a rare ingredient that has to be flown from around the world."

"Wow, but isn't that a little bit too crazy? I mean, would the board of directors or something limit your foothold on the power?" Atra asked. Sōma had a bitter scowl on his face when he heard the word 'director' eliciting bitter memories from Azami.

"Well, on my freshmen year we had this crazy guy that wanted to take over the whole school and reform it. He wanted us to follow his cut-out recipes and techniques. We were glorified prep-cooks! There was no room for creativity!" he whined out and complained like a child. Sōma was still angered whenever he would recall those chefs that have decided to stick to the rules so that they wouldn't get expelled.

They continued on with their exchange of stories until it was already time for Sōma to go.

He was supposed to meet up with Victor and Taiga later on at a pub. The two of them soon exited the café after a few hours of chatting, thanking each other for their company.

"How long will you be staying in Saint Gallen?" Atra inquired, wanting to exchange more stories and go to places with Sōma. She was captivated by his bravado and his confident smile that screamed 'I'm going to do what I want, when I want.' He was a person that was living his life to its fullest, doing what he loves. She couldn't help but envy the man in front of her in all his bravado and charming good looks.

"Just until Friday, I need to get back before Christmas. By the way, aren't you going to be late for a meeting or something in your office?" he asked back, looking at his wristwatch to check the time.

"Oh! You're right! I'm going to be late if I don't go right now! I'll see you later, Yukihira-san!" she waved off after breaking into a sprint to catch the bus back to her office.

* * *

Eventually nighttime arrived, Sōma went to the place that Victor and Taiga told him to go. It was a tavern, full of tough looking guys that drank beers in large pints while arm wrestling each other. Sōma was greeted in front of the pub by a large man with a large scar on his face that stretched across his left eye that was milky white and blinded.

"Welcome to the pub of the Crusaders! I see you are one of us now, _Kleiner Fuchs_!" the old man guffawed and whistled amongst the men of the crowd to introduce their newest member.

Sōma was intimidated by the burly men there, thankfully they were all friendly an accommodating to him when they saw his special bracelet that was given previously by Taiga.

" _Yo Little Fox! Over here!"_ Victor hollered out to Sōma who realized that the old man earlier already gave him a nickname.

" _I see you've already met my brother, Tsubasa."_ Taiga teased Sōma, sliding over a pint of beer towards him and a small plate of meat on skewers.

"It's a good thing that the people here are nice. I could've sworn some sneered at me earlier before they saw my bracelet that you gave me, Asakura-san." The two men beside him fist-bumped and told him that it was only natural to be intimidated by veteran soldiers.

" _You see, Kleiner Fuchs, the crusader's pub is a sacred place where men of great ambition and dreams gather to exchange stories! And we also serve the best beer in the city!"_ explained Tsubasa who cleaned up the counters as a passed out drunk guy was carried off by his friends.

"You're right it's really good. But damn is it strong!" Sōma wheezed out, feeling the surge of heat from his face.

A laugh of cheers and a rowdy crowd filled the pub that night. Sōma played cards, downed a pint of beer, sang karaoke with the other drunk men, downing another pint of beer, and eventually capping the night off with an arm wrestling completion from a guy that was about two times as muscular as he is.

" _You think you can handle me, Tender Foot!"_ taunted by the drunk guy in front of Sōma with a huge grin of confidence in his face.

'How about we make this a little more interesting…' Sōma grinned evilly and ordered them both a pint of beer.

"Alright, we drink and arm wrestle at the same time."

Tsubasa, along with Victor placed bets on the two men. Plenty of people where on bulkier guy's side while Victor and Tsubasa sided with Sōma, Taiga couldn't bet since he was busy doing the dishes.

" _Gentlemen, I want a good clean match. If there's beef afterwards, take it outside the pub, I will officially referee the match of this drinking completion. Place your bets lads!"_ Tsubasa encouraged, by then, more and more of the men spectating betted on Sōma's opponent.

No more than three seconds later, the man was passed out drunk on the table as Sōma slammed his arm down. The men cheered even though some of them lost, praising Sōma for noticing that the other guy was one drink away from passing out. After they split their winnings, Sōma and the other guys were quietly sitting down. Only the four of them were left in the pub after Tsubasa was closing down. They gulped down glasses upon glasses of water after a hard time of drinking strong beer.

" _So… I heard that you were recently widowed?"_ Tsubasa asked out of nowhere, eliciting a groan and head bang from Sōma's side of the counter.

"She was the one…" Sōma muttered, earning well placed pats on the shoulder from Taiga and Tsubasa.

" _You are a man in pain and in need of forgetting, aren't you, Kleiner Fuchs?"_ Sōma nodded from his seat, his head pounding from the hazy thoughts that plagued his mind.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing here to be exact… Me and my wife wanted to go here back then together as a family as soon as our daughter was born…" he recounted the times where he had the chance to refuse on the invitation from B.L.U.E. But he couldn't help but not blame himself for his wife's death for not being there for her. The guilt still resided inside Sōma's mind.

" _Hey man, I know it isn't much to hear it coming from me… But you'll find your answer eventually, just focus on yourself for now and live life in the moment."_ Victor offered a glass of water towards his friend and smiled.

* * *

The drive back to his hotel was a quiet one. Taiga was asleep in the car while Victor drove them to Sōma's hotel. After climbing out of the cab and thanking his friends, Sōma got back inside his hotel room with questions still fogging up his mind.

"I guess I'll call her…" he went over to his phone and dialed up Hisako's number.

[Hello? Are you there Yukihira?] Hisako asked on the other line, wondering why Sōma had called her.

"Yeah… I'm just really drunk and confused at the same time." He confided, hearing her groan.

[Yukihira? Are you alright?] she asked worriedly.

"I was never 'alright' after Erina died. I know I kept on telling myself that I'm fine, but I'm really depressed now that she's gone." He caved in, wiping away his tears.

[Hey… You go out there and find yourself, don't think – just do what you feel like and follow your instincts.] Hisako advised.

Sōma had a dopey smile when he recalled his meeting with Atra earlier. Her hard slap across his face brought a wince and light chuckle from him. It was so unusual and random how the two of them met.

"Hisako… Earlier today I've met this wonderfully crazy girl that slapped me across the face when I surprised her." He chuckled, earning a curious hum from Hisako.

[Oh, so you did find another girl. Do tell, Yukihira. Is she cute?] Hisako smiled, getting a hum in response from Sōma.

"She's cute, though she's really quirky and crazy." He added, eliciting a whistle from Hisako.

[Then date her, dummy! You still have plenty of days left there, don't you?] she groaned out.

'Your husband is a real Cassanova, Erina…" she sighed, wondering how hopeless can Sōma get.

"Well that's the thing, I forgot to get her number…" he muttered, getting a loud 'what' from Hisako on the other line.

[Alright so just wander around the places you've been to today for the next couple of days until you see her again.] she suggested, rubbing her temples.

"Ohh that's a great idea, thanks Hisako! I owe you another one!" Sōma grinned, remembering to go back to the café and cathedral for the next few days.

[Alright, I'm going to hang up now. We're going to go live in a few minutes.]

Sōma shut off his cellphone and went to bed. He was satisfied with how the day went, something about Atra was off-putting though, he wondered why the woman was so stressed in work.

"Maybe she's a really powerful figure or something like that…" he muttered before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

*Dream Sequence*

Sōma woke up and suddenly he was back in their small room in the Polar Star Dormitory. He was once again fifteen, and in his arms was the sleeping figure of Erina. He reveled in her scent and hugged his sleeping girlfriend at the time.

"What's gotten you so cuddly this early in the morning…" she murmured while her head buried into his chest. Sōma sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"I just missed you too much." He admitted with a small smile on his face. Erina pulled away from him and had a confused look on her face while she arched an eyebrow towards her affectionate boyfriend.

"What're you talking about? It's not like we haven't seen each other, we just made dinner last night?"

'I guess she doesn't know yet…' he grimaced, being transported out of the room again in a blink of an eye.

"What the-" he was suddenly transported into a small white room in front of a mirror while sharply dressed in a tuxedo. Takumi suddenly burst into the room along with Isami and Akira, Kuga was leaning on the door frame when Sōma realized that he was on 'that' day.

"Sōma! What the hell are you still doing here?! Your damn wedding is starting!" scolded out his blonde Italian friend. Sōma had a small smile on his face and reminisced this day in his mind.

'This was a week before our graduation…' he had a small smile on his face as he exited the small room as the ceremony commenced. All their friends in the Polar Star Dormitory were present. Fumio along with Shinomiya and Hinako were also present was also seen in the crowds of people in the church.

Sōma couldn't help but feel the sweat seeping out of his palms as he anxiously waited for Erina in her breathtakingly beautiful wedding gown. Soon enough, he saw her walking down the aisle, dressed in an immaculate white dress and looking at him with a smile on her face that shames the most beautiful of goddesses there ever was.

"You look rather ravishing today, my dearest." Sōma faked a fancy accent and kissed Erina's hand. Their guests gushed at the cute soon-to-be weds, they were already taking pictures and cheering from the sidelines. Erina huffed and turned away from Sōma's sudden gentlemanly comment towards her.

"Honestly… You couldn't save it until later could you?" she quietly complained to him, stepping on his shoes with her heels. Sōma bit down hard on his lip to prevent the priest from noticing that they were fooling around.

While absent mindedly saying their vows, Sōma couldn't help but grin and stare on the look of his blushing bride's beautiful face. After getting the 'go' signal from the priest, he wasted no time lifting up her veil, revealing small tears from Erina's face.

"How's about we get really freaky tonight, eh missus Yukihira?" Sōma teased out, getting a slap on the face before being pulled from his collar and kissed square on the mouth by Erina. The two broke off their kiss and was greeted by the multitude of cheers coming from their friends. Sōma carried Erina in a bridal-style as they took numerous silly pictures with their friends.

Again, Sōma was transported out of that day and into another one. He was back at Yukihira in a bathroom with Erina who was vomiting.

'Ahh… This was the day that we found out that she was pregnant…' he smiled, caressing Erina's back while holding her hair. He went downstairs to fetch Erina a glass of water, being met by Joichirou who had a worried look on his face.

"How long do you think you can keep on holding the past, son?" his father asked, being out of place in his dream.

"So you're aware… I don't think I can ever let go of her, Pops." Sōma admitted with a sincere smile on his face, accepting his fate of forever regretting his wife's death.

"Son, you need to let go of the past." Jochirou patted his head, ruffling his hair in the process before lightly jabbing his fist into Sōma's heart. Sōma turned away from his father with a small frown on his face, Joichirou having suddenly vanished into thin air after that.

Sōma got upstairs to give Erina her glass of water.

"Honey, I think I'm pregnant." Erina said with a twinkle in her eyes. Sōma gave her a big hug, twirling his wife around and planting soft kisses onto her neck.

"I love you…" he whispered into her ears before being transported again out of that room.

Now, Sōma was walking aimlessly around an empty cemetery the day before his flight in Saint Gallen. He stopped over to the cemetery to talk with Erina before he left. He lit up an incense stick and placed it into a small bowl there before praying on her grave.

His eyes were then covered for a moment. He wondered who it was, he was alone when he came there, so who could it possibly be that was covering his eyes?

"Guess who?" Erina's voice spoke. He took off her hands and surprised her with a kiss. Erina kissed him back and they held hands.

"So… I heard that you're still giving everyone a hard time?" Erina pouted. Sōma embraced her from behind as they sat on the soft grass, humming in response.

"I never want to let you go." He replied, desperately holding onto Erina as if she'd go away again for a second time. Erina turned around to face him, cupping his cheeks and looking at him straight in the eyes.

"I'll always be here…" she whispered, pulling him in for a kiss.

*End of dream sequence*

* * *

Sōma's blissful dream and memories of the past left a smile on his face when he woke up. He couldn't help but long for Erina more when he kept on dreaming about their times together, there was still something in him that couldn't ever let her go. Maybe the answer isn't here right now, but he's still growing as a person. There were still plenty of things that he's going to learn. In his mind, he knew that there will come a day where he will eventually let the past go, but for now, Sōma held onto it. Those precious memories that he held onto were forever his to keep and cherish.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ So here's the more accurate representation of a man who couldn't let go of his past. I wrote** **Sōma as humanly as possible. We are all faulty humans, full of imperfections and misunderstandings having misinterpretations. But that is part of growing up, here I wanted Sōma to fully realize that he's not going to let Erina go anytime soon, which is why he's accepting that it'll take time and understanding before he could accept what had happened. Tell me in the reviews if you think that was a good call!**

 **P.S: Kleiner Fuchs or** **Sōma's nickname is a nod to the Webtoon: Super Secret. It means 'Little Fox' in German since** **Sōma reminds me of those red-tailed foxes. I thought it was a cute reference so I added that in for kicks.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A:N/ Hey there! First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for still reading this story, like woah, I have an audience? It's really hard to tell when the community of SnS fanfic. Is really silent, but anywho, I'd still 'wow' you all at the end of the day. It might not be today or tomorrow, but I will make you all say that my story is one of – if not the best story this fandom has to offer in terms of depth and emotional ride. It's a promise!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Healing Hearts

* * *

It had been a few days since Sōma had been staying in Saint Gallen. Waking up on a bright and sunny Tuesday, the young man stretched his limbs and prepared for another day out of adventure.

"Alright, time to hit up that famous library Victor was talking about." He then proceeded with his daily rituals, brushing his teeth and going towards the many food stalls outside of the hotel for his breakfast. Having already made friends with the locals there, the young man decided to visit the old man who gave him free complementary baked goods yesterday after attracting business from his fans.

"Good morning, Sir!" Sōma greeted to the old fellow, tapping him on the shoulder and giving the older man a friendly hug. The silver fox smirked at the young man before pointing out to the numerous teenagers that were gushing at Sōma from afar.

" _What'll it be today, Kleiner Fuchs?"_ asked out the old man whom Sōma remembered as being one of the few person who calls him by that nickname that Tsubasa gave to him days ago. Sōma put a hand on his chin and scanned through the contents of the glass display, wanting to pick out something that matches the bright and sunny weather.

"Hmm… It's hard to pick something out… Everything here is just top-of-the-line good…" Sōma sighed out, hearing the old man laugh. The old baker took out a fresh tray of newly made baked goods that Sōma had never seen him sell before, wondering why the new type of bread had a peculiar humanoid-shape.

" _Kleiner Fuchs is interested, I see. Why not try my Stutenkerl?"_ offered the old man. Sōma never heard of this type of seasonal bread before, nodding on the offer as he curiously waited for the bread to cool for him to eat.

"Oh! It's like a gingerbread man with raisins!" Sōma gushed out like a kid after taking the first bite off of the scrumptious bread.

After finishing his bread, the young man once again resumed wandering around the city to look for the place that Victor told him to visit. Hailing a cab to reach the said place, he was immediately stunned at the architecture of the Abbey Library once he arrived.

"Damn…" he mouthed out silently, turning his head around to admire more the wonderful rustic smell of old books and wood from the place. Sōma was allowed to walk around and read some of the books there for a while, marveling at the sheer volume of old books that were said to have been stored there for the last few centuries.

"I can see why Erina wanted to come here…"

* * *

A few hours after the tour to the Abbey Library, Sōma went to find a place to have late lunch. The young man looked around for new places to eat, hoping to try more of the Swiss delicacies offered there. Spotting a nearby diner, Sōma had a breath of fresh air when he remembered Yukihira back home. It was a nice change of pace from previously eating in restaurants or cafés.

"Uwaa! Emma! My Dad is going to kill me when he finds out that I botched booking that chef that he wanted for their corporate meeting!" he heard a familiar voice whine out nearby his table. Using his menu for cover, the red-haired young man saw a stressed out looking Atra along with her brunette companion. The two women were currently gouging out on cheesecake whilst Atra was complaining through it all.

"Honey, get a grip! Just find another chef from one of these cafés who can do the job." Emma suggested while pointing her fork at her panicking friend. An idea popped into Sōma's head whilst placing his order, coughing out loud, the young man asked for the waiter to deliver his business card to Atra and Emma's table.

" _Miss Atra, some weird guy over there wanted you to have his calling card…"_ being shop regulars at the diner, Atra thanked the older man and read over Sōma's business card.

"Wait… Sōma Yukihira-"

"What? Where?" Emma nearly jumped out of her seat and looked around wildly, wanting to see this year's best rookie chef. Atra looked at her friend curiously, sporting a confused stare towards her friend.

"Wait, you know him? Is he famous?" Atra asked bewildered on how the young man she met on the church a few days ago could be a famous chef. Emma pulled out a magazine issue that was recently published a few months ago. Sōma then realized that Emma was onto him, he tried to eat quietly while sneaking glances towards the two women.

"Oh wow, he's really cute in that cover." Atra complimented, she then walked over to a panicking Sōma's table when she noticed him looking at her from afar.

"You eavesdrop on us earlier didn't you?" the woman in front of Sōma asked with an amused smile on her face. Sōma tried to play it cool at first, trying to act like he didn't saw Atra coming.

"Oh! Are you talking to me?" he feigned innocence and tried to hide the growing smile on his face. Atra pulled the seat in front of him before begging him to help her.

"So… The recent winner of B.L.U.E taking a vacation here in Switzerland…" Atra muttered out, trying to break the ice between the two of them. Sōma kept silent upon being mentioned that he won the recent prestigious competition earlier that year.

"Don't wear it out too much, I don't like remembering that day…" he admitted to her, seeing her gaze soften.

"I'm sorry to mention it then, but can you help me out? I know you're on vacation, but I don't know any other chef in town who can put out a high-class dinner."

Sōma pondered for a while with the offer, knowing that he already gave his business card to her, he might as well already accept her plea. It also didn't help that Emma was at their other table already waiting anxiously for her friend to ask Sōma to take a picture with her.

"I already gave you my business card, I might as well do some cooking myself while I'm here at Saint Gallen." He beamed towards her, accepting Atra's request.

"Oh, my friend over there wants to take a picture with you, is that alright?" Sōma nodded and finished his late lunch, after that the three continued their conversation outside. Emma then handed to Atra her phone before standing next to Sōma, a little bit taller than the young man.

"Thank you so much!" after handing back Emma's phone to her, Atra immediately took Sōma's hands and kept shaking them.

'At least she's excited…' Sōma chuckled at the thought, being left with Atra after Emma had to go run a few errands herself.

"So… When's the dinner going to be held?" he asked.

"It's on Thursday night. You can still make it right?" Atra nervously asked, Sōma nodded to put her fears to an end. Atra let out a sigh of relief, the two of them eventually reaching a snowy forest clearing.

"Wait, where are we?" Sōma asked, looking around dumbfounded when he realized that he didn't recognize the place where they walked through.

"Oh, I believe we walked through the Fischer Adventures Tour. This is part of a tourist spot here that lets you have a sled dog course!" Atra informed him, guiding Sōma through the forest as the two of them eventually reached the start of the tour.

"Huh, sled dogs…" Sōma repeated, patting the numerous friendly huskies that pounced onto him and started licking his hands and face.

"Want to try it?" Atra smirked at him, seeing him grinning ear to ear and nodding furiously.

The two registered and got into gear with the professionals not long after. Sōma was being told a step by step procedure on how to navigate through the forest, Atra on the other hand was already experienced with it, not needing the extra help from the staff there.

" _Oh, and be sure to be back by sundown! And don't forget to watch out for thin ice!"_ was the last thing Sōma heard from the staff there after he and Atra started to race down the course.

"Hey! This must be how Santa feels like when he's riding his sleigh, huh?!" Sōma yelled out feeling the wind blowing past his face. Seeing her nod before pointing out something and yelling towards him, Sōma didn't realize it soon before he struck a dead shrub. He was tumbling through the snow, managing to roll over a few times before spitting out some snow that he managed to eat.

"I'm pretty sure Santa doesn't crash like that…" Atra's smug face says it all, laughing at Sōma's misfortune as the young man got out of the snow, red-faced and feeling the heat coming out of his skin.

"Come on, help up!" he whined out, grinning while he held out his hand for Atra to help him get up from the snow.

"Sike!" he dragged her down hard and sent her down the cold snow along with him.

"Why do I still fall for that old trick?!" Atra complained, laughing along with Sōma. She hurled a snowball towards him, striking the young man in the face. The two of them frolicked in the snow and played with the huskies, making snow angels, building forts all the while not noticing that it was already getting dark out.

"Yikes, I think we played around a bit too much, don't you think?" Sōma teased to Atra, pulling her up from the snow. The two of them gripped their coats tighter to themselves, wanting to get out of the increasingly cold weather.

"All right let's head on back. The sled dogs know the way so we should be fine if we go slowly and let them lead us." Atra suggested, looking towards Sōma if there was any objections in their plan. They packed up their belongings and went back to the lodge, thanking the professionals who were looking for them earlier.

* * *

" _You guys are lucky to have made it in time! You should probably stay for dinner while you're here, it's getting cold out there you know?"_ suggested by one of the sled experts there, the two of them looked at each other before nodding, accepting the staff's kind offer.

" _Hey Cap! Can we get an extra hand here?"_

Sōma heard the faint smell of something burning in the air, not wanting to sound rude, the young man volunteered to cook for them all dinner for tonight as a way of saying thanks for the staff's hospitality. Sōma got out his headband from his backpack and tied it to his forehead, inspecting the ingredients that they had.

"What're you making?" Atra pranced beside him, tying an apron herself to help him cook. The young man curiously glanced at her and smiled, she looked cute in an apron.

"With the ingredients here, I can probably make our special Yukihira-style beef stew. I made it a long time ago during our culinary school years."

"Sounds good then!"

The two prepped their ingredients, slicing and cutting the vegetables as well as marinating the meat in Sōma's special mix of ingredients.

"Eep-" a trickle of blood running down Atra's finger caused Sōma to drop everything that he was doing. He asked around for a band aid from the staff their and gingerly took Atra's hand.

"You're supposed to do a cat's paw when you're cutting vegetables." He quipped, wrapping the bandage around Atra's.

'His hands are so big…' she thought, feeling comfort in Sōma's touch. Atra snapped out of her reverie and quickly turned around nodding at what Sōma had told her.

'Well that was weird.' The young man noticed the tense movement of Atra's hands.

The food was ready and they all sat down graciously savoring the delicious meal that both Sōma and Atra cooked. The staff members were all smiles, teasing at the two who looked like a married couple when they were working together.

"Damn… It's already nine-thirty, I gotta get going now everyone. It was nice cooking with you, Yukihira-san. I'll contact you again to notify you on where the dinner will be held." Atra bowed towards them as they all nodded towards her. The oldest member of the staff, poked at Sōma, urging the young man to accompany Atra and walk with her.

" _Well aren't you Humphrey Bogart? Come on, get up Lad! She's getting away! Go!"_ he continued on egging Sōma till the young man had a nervous smile on his face, briskly running towards the door to catch up with Atra.

" _Ten francs says that he'll walk her all the way home."_ A member of the staff confidently puffed, pulling out a fresh bill from his wallet to place down onto the table.

" _Not this again…"_

" _Double, twenty says that he'll come back here making up a lame excuse that he couldn't catch up to her."_ Another one of them matched and raised the pot. The old man couldn't contain his excitement and joined them in, betting another twenty into the prize pool.

" _Another twenty says that the young Lad would walk her home AND still be clueless that the girl has taken quite some fancy towards him."_ He challenged his younger colleagues, finishing up the last of the stew.

* * *

Sōma ran towards the nearby bus stop, fearing that Atra would already be gone by the time he gets there. Stopping for a breath of air after making it, he looked around and over his head to find it empty.

"Hey, why'd you follow me all the way up here?" Atra quipped, tossing a can of coffee towards his direction. She got her own can and offered to sit beside Sōma while they wait for the bus to arrive.

"Well, the old man did say that I should accompany you till you get home. You know how it gets at night?" he chuckled, seeing the deadpan look that Atra shot towards him.

"Yukihira-san, I'm alright. You don't have to keep on trailing behind me you know?" Arta crossed her arms and looked towards the bus that was nearing by.

"I know, I know. But I just can't leave someone all by themselves before I got to thank them for a fun day." He grinned, humming in delight by the sound of freshly opened canned coffee.

"Did you have fun the entire time that we hung out?" Atra asked.

Sōma turned towards her as if Atra asked him a ridiculous question, grinning at the young woman and nodding.

"Of course!" his heart fluttered and sent a jolt throughout his chest. Atra practically melted at Sōma's quirky grin, smiling at his silliness and pure glee.

"Well, I'm glad then. Do you still wanna come along for the bus ride? There's a shop nearby our house that sells my favorite snack at this time." She offered, climbing onto the bus with Sōma in tow. The bus ride was fairly quiet, the snow outside was once again falling and it made the two unconsciously huddle together for warmth. They got down the bus when Atra pulled them over, offering to pay for both of their pays.

"Here we are!" Atra lit up with glee upon seeing the familiar shop. Sōma glanced up and down at the store before crossing his arms and tilting his head in confusion. It was a strange cross between a western fifty's diner and European style café. The two of them went inside and it was then when Sōma realized that this must be one of the older stores that must've been there for ages.

(Play the song: Take On Me, Acoustic)

" _We're talking away_

 _I don't know what I'm to say_

 _I'll say it anyway_

 _Today's another day to find you_

 _Shying away_

 _I'll be coming for your love, OK?"_

The atmosphere of the shop then completely came to a sudden stop. The whole world felt mellow and slow as Sōma was taken aback by the song that played on the speakers there. He noticed his surroundings' colors getting warmer and a feeling of relief washing over him. The young man gaped and turned his head around to take in his surroundings; the neon lights, the checkered tiles on the floor, the soft cushions of the booth that he and Atra were sitting on. He saw her gentle smile towards the staff that greeted her with familiarity, not minding the fact that he was nodding all the way as he spaced out on everything that she was saying to him.

" _Take on me (take on me)_

 _Take me on (take on me)_

 _I'll be gone_

 _In a day or two…"_

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and immediately, he was back from the day before his wedding with Erina. He saw her gentle smile and felt being tugged in his heartstrings. Erina walked towards him in his imaginary plane, before he felt her caressing his cheeks and staring deep into his eyes.

"I'll be here…" she said to him, pulling them together for a soft kiss.

"Yukihira-kun?" he snapped back into reality and heard Atra's concerned voice. Scratching the back of his neck, he pretended to have been feeling tired. A buzzing from his phone sent a sigh of relief from

"I'm alright, I'll go take this call, be right back." He smiled at Atra. Sōma walked out of the store and answered Takumi's call.

"Hey what's up Takumi?"

[How's Saint Gallen holding up for you over there?]

"Well, you can say that I've been having the time of my life. How's Etsuko over there?"

[She's good! Megumi and I just got home from babysitting your little bundle of joy.]

"So… I'll be going home in Friday, don't forget to pick me up at the airport alright?" he teased to his friend, earning him a snobby 'whatever' and a chuckle.

[Alright good talk, I'll see you on Friday then.]

"Thanks for calling, Takumi." Sōma added, shutting off his phone with a smile on his face as he walked back to the store.

" _Oh, things that you say_

 _Is it a life or just to play my worries away_

 _You're all the things I've got to remember_

 _You're shying away_

 _I'll be coming for you anyway…"_

He came back and saw Atra waving towards him with a grin on her face, their orders already placed on their table. He sat down opposite of her and marveled at the baby seal-like snack that was in front of them.

"Uhh… Are these mochi?" Sōma asked, poking at the cute animal snack and feeling a little bit queasy when red filling came out of it. He looked up at Atra and saw her giggling in delight, biting off the heads of the baby seal mochi.

"They're super yummy!"

'It's a wonder why PETA isn't trying to shut down this shop by now…' he nodded and took the first bite out of the snack. Sōma's mouth was filled with raspberry goodness accompanied by the marshmallow-soft mochi that had the right amount of chewiness and texture on it.

"Wait… But why's a place like this serving mochi?" Sōma asked Atra, utterly bewildered at the unorthodox menu of the place.

"Hmm… The owner of this place and my mother were really close when I was young. She was also Japanese, so bringing over mochi here for the first time was a real treat from her." Atra gingerly took apart the cute seal mochi before dipping it in a blueberry sauce.

"Let me guess… You begged them to keep on making them?" Sōma teased, seeing Atra nodding furiously.

" _Take on me (take on me)_

 _Take me on (take on me)_

 _I'll be gone_

 _In a day or two_

 _Take on me (take on me)_

 _Take me on (take on me)_

 _I'll be gone_

 _In a day…"_

Atra smiled towards Sōma as the song from the shop finished. There was it again, the tugging from his chest the felt to be getting tighter from seeing Atra's heartwarming smiles.

"I love that song…" she smiled, humming to the tune of the song well after it finished.

The two of them walked outside and it was already around eleven at the time. Sōma was walking beside Atra, hearing her humming and skipping along the icy pavement on the ground. He felt something in his mind that anytime soon, Atra would slip and fall. Steeling himself, he remained vigilant of her incase the young woman would surely slip on the thin ice.

"Hey I forgot to ask, but what do want for Christmas- AHHH!" Atra took a misstep on of the stone bricks on the ground, slipping and bracing herself for the harsh fall that was soon to come.

'It was a good thing I'm here…' Sōma took a breath of relief, catching Atra just as she was about to hit the ground. He had wrapped his arms around her waist and held her hand, pulling her just a little bit too close for comfort, feeling their breaths just inches away from each other.

"Oh… Uhm… I… Uh… I think… I…" she was a bumbling mess when Sōma let go of her. Atra felt dizzy and could feel the heat seeping out of her face as well sneezing from the cold. Sōma thought nothing of Atra's nervousness, dismissing it from how Megumi used to stutter when she got nervous back then.

"I gotta get going now, Yukihira-san… Th-Thanks again for not letting me fall and for the time…" she bowed, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Sōma placed his hands on his waist before grinning at her.

"I'll see you on Thursday then!"

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ I know I said back then that the songs wouldn't be placed anymore, but I just couldn't help but adding that one scene in my mind. It's just so fitting when I watched Deadpool 2! You'll see a bit more references from famous romcom movies out there so be on the lookout ;)**

 **P.S: If you're wondering why the chemistry build up is slow, you're in for a treat because I'm basing Sōma and Atra's budding friendship and feeling of closeness from my own experience. That's right folks! What you're reading as of this moment are part of my own experience (some may be a little bit exaggerated or altered) but it's all of the things that I've fantasized about/have done over the past few years.**

 **P.P.S: Just a few more chapters to go on the overhaul bois, I'm so stoked to hear from you guys your reactions after I'm finished re-editing huge chunks of this story.**


	9. Chapter 7 (Atra's POV)

**A:N/ Home stretch of the overhaul bois! So just a friendly reminder, this chapter is kinda like 7.5-ish because it's shorter than the previous chapters and this would focus solely on Atra's POV.**

 **P.S: To those wondering until now what Atra looks like; she's 5'5, short dark pink hair (almost brown), Verdant Green eyes, body type like Megumi's (not too curvy, but just the right amount), she's 23 (like Sōma and the numerous other characters of their generation).**

 **P.P.S: So here's how the timeline works: Sōma and Erina became an official couple when they were 16, they got married at 19, spent the next few years working/a little bit of running away from Azami (I will further go into detail in how they eloped in Bird In A Cage; that's where I will publish their story together) Anyway, present timeline, Sōma and Erina were 23 when Etsuko was born (Erina just turned 23 since Etsuko was born on March 26** **th** **) With all of that cleared away, now begins the phase 2 of the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Hearts Connected

* * *

Atra's POV:

I've never believed in fairytales ever since I was a little girl. There was no Prince Charming out there for me (I'm unlovable, have never been in a relationship before, timid and just plain looking.) For a while I was all okay with that.

I accepted the fact that I'll always be the bridesmaid, never the bride. I was still happy cheering for my friends as they all soon got married.

Emma and I shacked up when I finally got the money to live on my own, though I still need to go back to our old lonely house every once in a while since my Dad wants to have quality time with me.

He's a good father, but I'm a little bit upset at him for always treating me like an employee. Growing up, I felt the drive to excel at everything he wanted me to. It was my duty as the sole heir of the Iwatani-group to one day succeed him and take his place from the company. But something inside me felt like I was always trapped.

I always felt that I was never really 'free'. It was as if everything that I never before was a lie, everything that I've built up and strived to get was crumbling in my hands. My mother was one of the few people that supported me when I told my Dad that I think I didn't want to inherit the company.

He was utterly furious. His once prim and polished daughter was refusing her duty. But I was happy. I felt the freedom for the first time in my life. I still worked for my father, but our relationship had been a little bit rocky ever since.

"Food's ready!" I heard Yukihira-san from afar, coming towards my father and his colleague's table. I couldn't help but drool a little from the fabulous dinner that he whipped up a Quiche De Légumes Oubliés and Nine Vegetable Terrine.

"Iwatani-san, join me!" he smiled towards my way and offered me a plate. We ate inside the kitchen while my father and his colleague discussed something. I was amazed at the world class dish in front of me.

"The food I made brings back plenty of memories…" he chuckled, picking his food with his fork. I picked up my own fork and dug through my meal, the Nine Vegetable Terrine was really good and all the vegetables were really fresh.

"What kind of fond memory do you recall?" I asked him, half-way through done with my vegetable dish.

"Well… My Master and I didn't get off on the right foot when we first met…" he chuckled.

"Why so?"

He then rested his hand on his chin and grinned at me.

"Me and my friend almost got expelled!" I nearly dropped my fork in surprise when he told me that just so casually. I mean, how could you get expelled for cooking?

"W-What happened?" I beat my chest for the food to go down quickly, taking sips from the glass of water that I had.

"Well it all started when…"

It was a salvo of exchanging stories between us. I couldn't believe the ridiculous stories that he was spouting, they were all so colorful in my mind and exciting. All of Yukihira-san's thrilling stories from back in his High School made me more envious of his spunk and his sheer cheerfulness throughout all the tough things that happened when he was studying there.

"You've lived the exciting life haven't you?" I teased him. We were finished with our food not long after, I felt stuffed from the sheer amount of goodness that graced my mouth.

"I would trade some off that excitement for some quiet time, you know?" he slightly frowned, sighing from a distance. I nodded just for the sake of keeping things grounded and not awkward, but I saw something on Yukihira-san's arm that nearly jumped at my heart.

"What happen to your arm?" I cautiously asked, seeing a few cuts from self-harm that lidded his arm. I worriedly glanced at him and saw him trying to avoid my question, I probably shouldn't pry.

"I'm not comfortable talking about it… I'm sorry." I couldn't help but feel guilty for asking him. People had their own ways of coping through sadness throughout their life, I wouldn't want to know the pain that he felt when he self-harmed himself. However, I do want him to know something.

"I'm sorry for asking. Curiosity killed the cat you know?" I tried to laugh it off, seeing his uncomfortable gaze on the floor. This is bad. I probably shouldn't have even asked him in the first place. I looked around the kitchen wildly and tried to come up with another topic.

"You know… When I was a little girl… My Mom and I would make mochi when I had a bad day." I slipped out, seeing his face lighting up with curiosity.

"Do you still know how to make them?" he asked, looking digging around through the kitchen to look for ingredients to use. I helped him out and eventually we managed to put together the list of ingredients that I remembered from my Mother's recipe.

"Okay… So one hundred grams of sweet rice flour… One teaspoon of matcha power… Fifty grams of sugar… One tablespoon of salt then mix them all together and add a hundred milliliter of hot water…" it was my Mother's favorite, I accurately recalled every detail from her recipe and followed it with ease.

"I didn't know you liked mochi this much…" he quipped from behind me as I popped the bowl of mixture into the microwave, setting the timer for two minutes.

"It's the best mochi recipe made with lots of love." I grinned back at him with a cheesy look that would shame high school girls. It really was love that made them taste better, the sheer care I put into making these when I'm down would trump even the best mochi-makers in Japan.

After slicing the kneaded mixture, I then rolled them into small balls and added some bits of green-tea flavored chocolate kit-kats that we had laying around. Last bit of the recipe and I'm almost done, I rolled the matcha-filled mochi's in matcha powder and let them set on a small plate that I got.

"Woah… They look really good!" he complimented the mochi I made. I couldn't help but feel pride swelling in my chest as he praised my Mother's recipe and it brought a sense of nostalgia inside of me when I took the first bite of the treat. I offered one to him as he thanked me and ate it in one bite.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" I chuckled as the idiot dashed to get some water. The chocolate from inside must've gotten molten hot from being in the microwave for a bit longer than I usually would have them.

"How was it?" I asked Yukihira-san, offering another one to him. He clicked his tongue and looked down on the plate of mochi lovingly. It kinda made my heartbeat skip when he took another one and ate it.

"It's a dish that speaks to you. It screams: Hey, I know you had a tough day, so here's a mochi for you to enjoy and to help you relax."

That was maybe the first time I ever envisioned a Prince Charming being true. They didn't come in shining armor or on white horses… Sometimes they came in with an apron and bandanna on their heads, saying that the mochi you made was really good.

"Atra… What's that? Did you make it?" I felt being pulled back into reality when my Dad walked on us in the kitchen. He was pointing at the mochi I made with a surprised gaping in his mouth. I hesitantly nodded towards my Dad and offered him one, hoping that he would still remember the taste of my Mother's mochis.

"I didn't know that you could make these…?" he asked while savoring the taste in his mouth. I couldn't help but chuckle sometimes at how my Dad could be so emotional. He and I loved Mom so dearly, after she died a few years ago… Our relationship became rocky without the mediator around.

"Did you help her make these?" he asked to Yukihira-san. The young man beside me chuckled and shook his head.

"It was your daughter's work, Sir. I only helped her looking around for the ingredients when we wanted to make some for desert." He added.

My Dad turned to me and wiped his tears off his face.

"Dad?" I tried to ask why he was suddenly being so emotional.

"My colleague… I mean, Emma's Father… He told me everything…" he confessed. Emma's dad was our office's manager, meaning that all our work to be filed went through him before they could reach my Dad's firm.

"What did he tell you?" I asked. Yukihira-san gave us some space after taking a call from home. Now alone with my Dad, I sat down with him as he relayed through everything that he heard from Emma's Dad.

"Honey… Did you always felt like I was pressuring you…?" he asked. I felt bad to tell him the truth, but I also wanted him to know. I nodded in response, seeing him cry more.

"I am so sorry for always treating you like an employee while you were growing up…" he cried, embracing me. I didn't notice myself crying as well, but I admitted to him everything that was bottled up from inside, from the time that I couldn't make friends since I was always viewed as being snobby or too quiet, to all the times that he denied my request for a leave on the company when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Dad… Do you remember that picture I gave to you and Mom years ago on Parent's Day?" I asked him, pulling away from his hug to wipe away my own tears.

"How could I forget, Honey? I still keep it in my office!" he guffawed. I twiddled with my thumbs and wanted to beat around the bush before I ask him. I couldn't risk upsetting him now, since this might be my only chance to finally get out of the country.

"D-Do remember too when I told you and Mom that I'd like to move out of the country one day to open up my own Mochi store in Japan?" I cautiously asked. He nodded and patted me on the head with a grin on his face.

"Atra… Mom and I always wanted you to chase your own dreams… I'm sorry for being so pig-headed all this time. If you're asking for my blessings if you can go pursuit them, then please go ahead and enjoy your dream, Honey!"

He held out his arms and I felt like a little girl again, hugging him without a second thought.

That night, I couldn't tell if making that batch of mochi was the catalyst that made my Dad more emotional. I thanked my stars and thanked Yukihira-san again. He was the reason why I'm here right now. If it weren't for him pitching it to safe the dinner between my Dad and Emma's Dad, I probably wouldn't be able to fulfill my dream of finally opening up my own store in Japan.

* * *

I couldn't believe it. It was already Friday when I accompanied Yukihira-san to the airport. We had a fun-filled day back at the Fischer Adventures Tour. I felt a little bit embarrassed when the staff there kept egging us if we were already dating, I still couldn't imagine me dating anyone for that matter.

It was time. The time on the airport terminal was slowly moving, I couldn't help but take it the crazy adventures that I had with Yukihira-san these past few days. From meeting him at the Saint Gallen church, to him offering his help, our short little adventure out in the woods with those cute huskie sled dogs, and finally that amazing night that we shared when we ate my favorite baby-seal mochi snacks.

"Well… This is it!" I saw the look on his face and couldn't help but giggle at his grin. Licht-san and Asakura-san were there with us when they loaded Yukihira-san's luggage onto a trolley. The three of them hugged each other, shaking hands and exchanging their contacts.

" **Good evening passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 89B to Japan. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately twenty minutes time. Thank you."**

I felt an icy stake driving through my chest when we all heard the announcement coming from the speakers. There was so much more that I wanted to say! I wanted to go on more adventures with Yukihira-san and to get to know him better! It was all moving so fast now that I didn't even notice that Yukihira-san was gently shaking me out of my train of thought.

"Iwatani-san?" he asked with concern. Those golden eyes of his never cease to amaze me. There was a pause in his voice before he pulled me into a hug. I felt so light that I was fearing that I might've been floating right now, that and the fact that I felt the heat rushing in my face.

"There's so much more that I wanted to say to you… Are you ever going to come back one day?" I asked, afraid of losing the friend that I've made. Yukihira-san being the only one to have splashed my life with his vibrant and exciting colors, the man whom set me free from my cage that once held me captive on its cold walls.

"I probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. We'll always have our times here in Saint Gallen. Here's to seeing you again, Iwatani-san."

Yukihira-san then smiled and it made me melt inside. His smile made me rethink my whole perception on Prince Charming. He was an unfathomable man who breezed by my life, unforgettable as well as leaving behind fond memories.

"You cheeky guy, you stole that line from the movie Casablanca! We were just watching it earlier!" I whined, looking towards Yukihira-san's face. I couldn't help but laugh at his imitation of Humphrey Bogart, from his hat and coat that he was wearing, to the sheer suave of his voice.

"Hey, if you ever drop by Japan, feel free to contact me again." He lifted up my chin so that we could meet eye-to-eye. I felt the creeping blush on my face as I stuttered to utter a word, making awkward noises and nodding in response.

Yukihira-san embraced me one more time, after that he walked towards Licht-san and Asakura-san to hug them as well. I felt my heart beating faster as he turned his back on us, one last grin; one last smile before he left.

"I'll see you later, Iwatani-san!" the grin plastered on his face made me jump a little. That smile of his couldn't leave my mind. My first time ever encountering my Prince Charming and I saw him walking away, I promised myself that I'd go and see him one day…

"Let's meet up again… Someday…" I giggled, looking off into the distance where Yukihira-san left. Licht-san ran back towards our place when he noticed that Yukihira-san forgot something in the cab.

"Damn… He forgot his umbrella…" The man said, panting for breath as Yukihira-san's flight already took departure.

I was given the yellow umbrella after that. I cherished it as it reminded me of Yukihira-san's face and smile, I pulled out my phone to call or text him, but I hesitated…

"I'll give it back to him one day when we meet again…" I promised to myself.

I never believed in fairytales or happy endings. I always thought that they were just figments of imagination that people make so they would feel better about their situation. I now feel different when I hear about fairytales. Those few days with Yukihira-san made me believe that sometimes, all of those fictional things that we read from books or online come true, that somehow…

 _Maybe happy endings are real…_

* * *

 _4 years later…_

It was a long grueling day of work when I finally finished the paperwork for my new store and house here in Japan. It had already been four years since I left Switzerland, it felt like a dream when I got here. I still haven't gotten in touch with Yukihira-san after all this time, I kinda want to surprise him, but I couldn't find much lead on his whereabouts. His old number wouldn't work anymore so that's out of the question as well…

"Up you go!" I beamed as I hung up the newly-made sign of my mochi store 'Mochi-Mochi!' is finally ready for business! The rain didn't attract too much business, but it was a good thing that I had Yukihira-san's umbrella to help shield me from the rain as I hand out fliers.

It was around eight when I saw the bustle of crowds, no one still had come to my store, much to my dismay. I kept moving places here in Tokyo after I arrived here from my home. There wasn't any decent place to set up a mochi store!

It took a bit of luck before I found this quaint little district, the people were all nice and accommodating, moving here about a week ago was also a bit of a pain.

"Papa! Look! What's that?" I overheard a little girl wearing a cute raincoat said to her Dad while I was busy handing out fliers. I gasped when I saw the face staring right back at me with his eyes wide open.

"Iwatani-san…?" there wasn't much of a change in the time we spent apart. We were now older ourselves and have grown more, however Yukihira-san's smile still didn't change after all this time.

"It's nice to see you again, Yukihira-san…" I smiled at him. He blinked and paused, still trying to process it all, the big idiot he is…

"What brings you over here in Japan?"

"Let's just say, I wanted to return to you your handy yellow umbrella that you left in Licht-san's cab." I giggled, gesturing to him the umbrella that he left four years ago.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ So that's chapter 8.5 done! I hoped you liked it! I really had fun writing this and having my friend proof-read it for me while I was editing this. (THANK YOU AGAIN MISS TASIA)**

 **P.S: By now, the story would take a different-ish approach, so the succeeding chapters after this would be either significantly altered or just completely different. Hope you liked it! Leave a review for me alright? Thanks a bunch!**


	10. Chapter 8

**A:N/ We're officially back into the present timeline bois! Anyway from here on out, I think the story would take a further dip into another setting. So please keep that in mind as the story progresses!**

 **P.S: Sorry in advance if I cut out the parts that you loved about the older beta-versions of the chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Second Chances

* * *

Four years have passed since Sōma came back from Saint Gallen. The young man grew and matured, but akin to that is that there was something missing from the person that came back after the trip. He felt something was oddly out of order in his mind. He couldn't quite figure it out for a while, but Sōma diverted all of his attention into being a Dad for Etsuko before all things.

"Papa, wakey wakey! First day of school!" a high pitched voice from a bubbly girl erupted Sōma's quiet Monday morning. Etsuko had grown over the years, her hair grew and its beautiful rose gold color had shone brightly under the sunlight. Her eyes were as purple as Erina's and her unfathomable spirit reminded Sōma of himself when he was younger.

"Mhmmm, five more minutes Etsuko…" he mumbled on his pillow. Etsuko huffed and pouted cutely, grabbing a nearby pillow to slam it over her sleeping Dad.

Etsuko's stomach grumbled loudly, causing the little girl to be red in embarrassment. Sōma peered up from his pillow and saw his daughter smiling awkwardly at him while trying to not cause much of a bother.

"Let's get the day started then, Honey!" He rose to his feet and kissed his daughter in the forehead, grabbing Etsuko's hand and leading her to the bathroom so that she could be bathed to get ready for school.

"Papa, I love you!" she mumbled, hugging him before running downstairs for breakfast.

"Oh jeez, what the heck did I do to deserve a kid like you." He patted Etsuko's head, grabbing his necklace made of his and Erina's wedding rings before going downstairs himself.

"Kiddo, where's Pops?" he asked his daughter who was sitting on a booth waiting for her breakfast.

"Over there! Grandpa!" she called out to the older man.

"Just a few more seconds Etsuko!"

Sōma walked over to their kitchen and grabbed a lunch box, fixing up Etsuko's favorites for her lunch later on. Joichirou chuckled, watching over his son proudly while Sōma explained Etsuko why penguins can't fly.

"What!? Penguins can't fly but they can tap dance!" argued Etsuko over to Dad while she finished her breakfast.

"Kiddo, that's Happy Feet." Sōma deadpanned at her, eating his breakfast with his Dad on the countertop.

"You know, Etsuko reminds me of you when I took you on your first day to kindergarten." Joichirou mumbled, taking in another spoonful of rice. Sōma himself couldn't forget that day as well, being late was something that he'd grown accustomed to when Joichirou was always busy.

"Oh I do remember us being late that time! The headmaster was so confused why a nineteen year old looking guy brought in his son." Sōma teased to Joichirou, nudging his Dad on the shoulders.

"Hey, that nineteen year old happened to have been making more than what they make for a whole year in a single month. You can't blame me for being busy!" Joichirou argued, laughing along Etsuko.

"Let's get going kiddo!"

Etsuko giggled, jumping out of her seat and running towards the coat hanger upstairs to grab her yellow hat and small sling bag.

"Hey! Don't forget Etsuko's raincoat and your umbrella!" Joichirou reminded, passing the father-daughter pair a spare umbrella. Sōma went upstairs to get Etsuko's raincoat, slipping in onto his little daughter as she giggled and twirled around, delighted by the cute raincoat she was wearing which was a bright shade of yellow.

"Papa! Let's go!" she beamed, taking Sōma's hand.

"Alright! Pops we'll be going now, I'll be back in a little bit."

* * *

On their way to school they passed by a new store that had just opened up. 'Mochi-Mochi!' is what it said on the huge sign it had. Sōma was handed out a flier by a woman with dark-pink hair, quickly glancing up on from the flier to the woman.

'Wait…' there was a skip in his heartbeat that rippled across his chest after a second when he glanced up to see Atra staring at him. The dark-pink haired woman was also wide in shock herself. He nearly dropped the umbrella he was holding when he saw her holding a familiar looking yellow umbrella that he forgot.

"It's nice to see you again, Yukihira-san…" she croaked, her voice sounding hoarse and nervous. Sōma couldn't help but gape a little when he saw how much she'd changed over the years. Her hair was a lot longer now and she also wore glasses.

"What brings you over here in Japan?" there was a momentary pause between the two of them. Etsuko kept quiet while trying to shyly hide away behind his leg, the young girl was dressed in her raincoat when it had started to drizzle earlier.

"Let's just say, I wanted to return to you your handy yellow umbrella that you left in Licht-san's cab." She gestured towards her umbrella with a small smile on her face.

"Papa?" Etsuko held his hand tighter, feeling shy around Atra. There was a pause in her stare when Sōma racked through his brain for something that he forgot to tell Atra back then.

"Wait… You have a daughter?!" Atra asked with much surprise, looking at Etsuko and then back at Sōma. His daughter hid behind him, a bit surprised by Atra's sudden outburst.

"I forgot to tell you about her back then…"

"I-I see…"

There was an awkward silence between the two of them.

"Well, it was nice catching up with you, Iwatani-san. We'll be sure to come back later!" we waved off to the woman, taking Etsuko's hand as they continued on their way to Etsuko's school.

'Of course he'd be married and has a kid by now…' Atra sighed in defeat, trudging back into her store with her head hung low.

* * *

The trip to Etsuko's elementary school was a little bit too quiet for Sōma's comfort. He worriedly glanced down at Etsuko and saw her frowning a little.

"Honey? Hey what's wrong?" He knelt down on his daughter, inspecting her if she had gotten hurt or anything.

"The lady earlier… Who is she?" Etsuko asked, tilting her head in confusion. Sōma smiled and reassured her with a pat on the head.

"She's Papa's friend. We met years ago when you were still a baby." He explained, telling her the adventures that he and Atra share a while back. The more Sōma told to her about Atra, the more curious Etsuko was getting. He could already tell from the growing smile on her face that something was brewing up in Etsuko's little mind.

"Oh! Is she my Momma then?!" Etsuko stopped and looked up at Sōma with hopeful eyes. There were still plenty of things that he hadn't told to Etsuko yet, Erina's death, what had happened to him years ago when she died. She was still kept in the dark from his personal life after everything that happened in his younger years. He felt that it was still too soon for his daughter to find out about the things that happened in those dark years.

"Honey, that's not how it works…" he knelt down to her and hugged her, letting her go to the school after the teachers were gathering the children.

" _Aren't you going to say goodbye to your Papa?"_ asked one of Etsuko's teachers there. The little girl nodded and ran towards her Dad, wanting to hug him before the school bell rings.

"Papa!" Etsuko yelled out, running briskly through the rain. Her hoodie flung back from the wind that rushed in front of her face, she jump towards Sōma who luckily turned around it time to catch his daughter.

"Papa! I love you! See you later!" she chirped, nuzzling her head onto the crook of Sōma neck, kissing him on the cheek before put her down. He tried to hide the growing blush on his face, feeling overjoyed from Etsuko's cute moments.

* * *

 _Sumire Elementary School…_

" _Okay class! Today we'll be introducing you all to each other!"_ One of the teachers inside Etsuko's room smiled towards the group of children. Etsuko was quiet, looking around the classroom to see numerous kids feeling shy. Her eyes fell upon a boy with white hair and yellow cat-like eyes than seemed to give off a mischievous aura on them.

" _Would anyone like to start to introduce themselves?"_ the teacher asked the group of children, hoping to break the ice so that they could all start being friends.

"Yes, please!" the white haired boy from earlier shot up his arm with a huge toothy grin on his face. He stood up from his desk and in front of the class.

"My name is Tsukasa Haru! And I'll be a great chef one day like my Momma and Papa!" the little boy proudly declared. Etsuko saw his confidence and admired him for his dream. She then joined in on the group of children who clapped for Haru's introduction.

" _Would anyone else like to volunteer?"_ asked again the teacher. Etsuko took a deep breath before raising her hand. Haru, who was a few desks away from Etsuko, encouraged the girl to do her best.

"You can do it!" the little boy whispered to her, Etsuko shyly nodded, thanking him for his words of encouragement.

"M-My name is Y-Yukihira Etsuko… And uhm… I'd like to see penguins one day in the Antarctic!" she shouted the last part. The group of kids immediately made fun of her and teased her, causing Etsuko to back away and hide from the teacher's leg. Haru on the other hand, was trying to defend Etsuko, not wanting her to feel embarrassed any further.

"W-Why are they teasing me?" she looked up at the teacher, tears brimming on her face. The teacher patted her head before turning back to the other children with a small frown on her face.

"Class… I'm very disappointed in you, please apologize to Etsuko-chan." She scolded the kids, all of them gave Etsuko a passing glance, giving the little girl half-hearted apologies as Etsuko made her way back to her desk.

The introduction of other kids went by quickly, it was now their recess time when the bell rang.

"Where is she…" Haru muttered to himself, looking around for Etsuko to try and cheer her up. He gasped when he saw her being pushed around by a group of kids. The little boy ran as fast as he could to save her.

"Hey! Stop that!" he yelled to one kid, shoving him off of Etsuko when he was pushing her around. The other boy grabbed Haru's collar and shoved him onto the floor.

" _Come on let's go… These two are a bunch of weirdos…"_ another kid muttered, taking their friends along with them to leave Etsuko and Haru.

'That was so uncool…' Haru winced from the scratch that he received from the kid when he was shoved on the floor.

"H-Here, take my hand." Etsuko said, taking Haru's hand to pull him up to his feet. Haru dusted off some of the dirt that got onto his shirt, checking himself around if there were any more scratches.

"Thanks…" Haru muttered. The two of them were sitting idly, watching the kids playing tag. A part of Etsuko was confused and wanted to cry, but she tried to hold back her tears because Haru was with her.

"A-Aren't you going to play with them?"

"Nah, they're a bunch of stupid jerks."

"O-Okay then…" Etsuko replied, looking around for anything that could pass the time for the two of them.

"Do you think I'm silly?" Etsuko asked to Haru, she was looking like she was about to try when Haru patted her head.

"No." he said simply, taking her hand and leading them both to the small garden beside the school. Etsuko was really happy when she saw the numerous pretty flowers that grew there, Haru grinned when he picked one of the flowers there, handing it over to Etsuko with a smile on his face.

"You're not weird, Etsuko-chan, I think that you're really cute!" he said, putting the small camellia flower that he picked on Etsuko's hair. The little girl was flabbergasted, being complimented by a boy was something that she never experience before. Shy meekly nodded, fiddling with her thumbs and trying to avoid Haru's growing smile.

"We should probably head back now, I think the bell already rang." He quipped, taking Etsuko's hand and leading them back to the classroom.

* * *

Atra had been busy tending to her store for the whole day. It was now afternoon time when the busy rush of customers finally lessened. The young woman sighed after a long day of work, rubbing her sore muscles while drinking tea. The bell rang on her door and she saw the father-daughter pair walking in with smiles on their faces.

"O-Oh! Yukihira-san, it's nice to see you again." She greeted the two of them happily.

Sōma looked around the store, admiring the rustic charm that it had. It reminded him a little bit of the Crusader's pub back in Saint Gallen, it had a cozy feeling to it and just gave off a feeling of warmth when you came inside.

"Papa? What're those?" Etsuko pointed at the numerous mochi that was available. Atra couldn't help but chuckle towards Etsuko's curiosity, wanting to help the young girl, Atra brought out her favorite baby seal mochi and gave it to Etsuko with a smile.

"Here, try it! It's called mochi." Etsuko giggled, thanking Atra before taking her first bite off the tasty treat.

"So… What brings you all the way here?" Sōma broke the silence between him and Atra. The woman sat down with him and invited the two of them for tea.

"Well… It was all thanks to you that I could be here right now…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little bit unsure on her vague explanation.

"It was because you cooked that dinner for my Dad and his colleague… If it weren't for you the dinner would've been canceled, my Dad found out then that I was having a tough time around him from my boss." Then it all made sense to Sōma. Right before he left and thanked Atra's father, he saw the two of them reconciling.

There was a feeling of giddiness in Sōma that reminded him of another thing from that night. He couldn't help but smile towards Atra.

"That was probably the best night I had in Saint Gallen." He admitted, wanting to relive the time when he and Atra went sledding with the huskies, the time when he and her eating at the weird diner that had just the perfect song for them, it all came back to Sōma in one huge ball of nostalgia.

"What's your name, miss?" Etsuko asked to Atra, snapping the absent-minded Sōma out of his thoughts.

"I'm Atra Iwatani, what's your name little girl? By the way, I like your flower. You look so cute!" Atra said with her friendliest smile. Thankfully for the woman, Etsuko was starting to warm up to her, she wasn't as shy anymore.

"I'm Etsuko Yukihira! My friend Haru gave me this flower earlier! He said I looked cute!" Etsuko gushed.

'I feel a strange disturbance in the force…' Sōma wondered who the little boy was that Etsuko was talking about. There was a few more exchanges of giggling and laughing amongst the two, Atra was tending to the other customers as she and Etsuko exchanged stories about their day.

"Miss Atra, how do you make mochi?" Etsuko asked. Looking around for any signs of other customers, Atra then grinned when she saw that the three of them were alone now. She then walked towards the small sign on her door, flipping it around so that it would say that they were already closed.

"Yukihira-kun, want to help me make that mochi that we ate a few years ago?" Atra winked at Sōma, teasing him and Etsuko.

'Well that's the first time that she called me that…' Sōma noted, nodding along as he tied a spare apron that Atra had. Etsuko watched the two adults work together, something inside her mind was wondering why the two of them looked good together. The little girl went over to Atra and tugged on her apron.

"Miss Atra? Do you know who my Momma is?"

"Eh?"

Sōma dropped the empty bowl he was holding and looked at Etsuko with his eyes wide in shock.

"Y-Yukihira-kun?" Atra worriedly glanced at Sōma.

"Etsuko, wait here Honey."

He then sighed and took Atra's hand, pulling the two of them away from Etsuko so that he could tell her the truth. Once the two of them were left alone, Sōma rubbed his temples and apologized.

"Yukihira-kun? What's going on?" Atra asked. Sōma had his back on the wall, sliding further down onto the floor. He put his arms onto his face to bury them, not knowing where to start.

"I haven't told Etsuko yet…" he croaked.

"Haven't told her what?" Atra sat beside him, waiting for him to explain it to her. Sōma smiled sadly, pulling out his necklace and showing it to Atra.

"My wife passed away when Etsuko was born… I haven't told her yet because I was so afraid that she would think that Erina left her…" it was a sensitive matter that Sōma danced around for years. He never gave Etsuko an answer whenever she would ask him where her mother was.

"I'm sorry to hear…" Atra leaned a little bit closer to Sōma so that she could comfort him. Tears fell on Sōma's face as he broke down, the walls that he'd long brought up since he came back from his trip was being torn down once again. He felt so vulnerable again.

"I was so stupid…" he whispered, leaning his head onto Atra's shoulder. Atra patted his head and hummed to him, wanting to do more for Sōma.

"Hey… Want to finish making the mochi?" Sōma pulled away from Atra and saw her gentle smile. Rain had once again started to pour outside. Petrichor had already permeated in the air around them bringing to Sōma a comfortable and nostalgic smell.

"Yeah… I'd like that."

The two of them came back after their short 'talk'. Etsuko ran up to Sōma and hugged him, crying whilst repeatedly apologizing to her father.

"Papa… I'm so sorry for making you upset…" the little girl murmured, her face still buried on the apron that Sōma was wearing. He knelt down and hugged Etsuko, reassuring her that she did nothing wrong.

"Etsuko-chan ~ " Atra called out to the little girl, presenting to her the matcha-flavored mochi that she and Sōma were making.

"I added in my secret ingredient just for you." Atra winked, patting Etsuko's hair and looking at Sōma with a smile of her own.

"What's the secret ingredient?" Sōma asked, taking one of the mochis and inspecting it closely. Atra turned around with a small smile on her face.

"It wouldn't be a secret then if I told you, now wouldn't it?" she teased, seeing Sōma popping the mochi into his mouth.

'It's surprisingly more delicious than last time…' he noted, seeing Etsuko's bright smile when she kept on eating the rest of the mochi.

The three of them had a great time. Etsuko was getting drowsy when Sōma noticed the time, the rain outside had thankfully lessen, only being a light downpour than earlier. He cradled Etsuko and lifted the little girl up, resting her tired head onto his shoulder.

"I had a great time, Iwatani-san… Thanks for everything." He bowed. Atra couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Please come by anytime you feel so. I also had a wonderful time today!" Atra replied a little too loudly, waking up the sleeping Etsuko. The drowsy little girl smiled towards her and thanked her.

"Miss Atra… Thank you for today…" Etsuko smiled before passing out again. Sōma and Atra melted at Etsuko's cuteness, the two adults seemingly lost at the little girl's kindness.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ I hoped you guys liked the timeskip! I decided to add a little more on Etsuko's perspective when I wrote this chapter, since I didn't want to make this all about Sōma and Atra. Plus, there's also a bit more to this story in the coming parts, Rindō and Eishi being introduced as a couple (Haru is just an adorable cinnamon roll, ain't he? xD)**

 **Hoped you guys would review! Thanks again for the 16k viewer count!**


	11. Chapter 9

**A:N/ So as I've said before, I'll be updating once a week (every thursday) Anywho, the pacing of the story might be a little to slow for your tastes, please keep in mind that this is not a fluff-driven fic. It's made to let the characters grow and not just lump them into cute scenarios/moments. Of course there will be moments of sweetness, I just want to time it right in the pacing of the characters' character development.**

 **To address some reviews:**

 **To the random guest that reviewed: Hey! Yes the part where Takumi and Megumi broke up was omitted from the newer version of the story! I'm glad that you've noticed it. Anyway, that part I've decided to cut-out since it was really out of place with my story and felt clunky (The smut included there will also brand this story as rated M)**

 **To Gray Fullbuster 20: I'm really glad that you like my story! I'll be continuing to do my best! So wait around for the next chapters hehe.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma**

* * *

Picking Up the Pieces

* * *

Sōma took one last longing look at the boxes that he'd just finish packing up. Earlier today, he was cleaning their room while Etsuko was still at school.

"Damn… What happened throughout these years…" he whispered. Sōma picked up a photo of him and Erina on the ground that he had forgotten to put away. He sat on the edge of his bed as he gently held onto the piece of memory in his hands.

"You look so beautiful…" the picture on Sōma's hands was a photo of him and Erina out on their first date. That was their first date. Sōma and Erina were kissing as fireworks lit up the sky.

"You ready?" Joichirou asked. Sōma turned around and saw his father leaning on the doorway with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Yeah… I've said my goodbyes. Help me out, Pops?" Sōma grinned, taking the boxes upstairs in their attic to their new home. Sōma had a small smile on his face as he felt that he was feeling lighter.

'Forgive me… Erina… I'm so sorry it took so long for me to let go.' He closed his eyes and recounted the number of times when Etsuko stumbled upon pictures of him and Erina. Just yesterday, Etsuko was fumbling around with a scrapbook that he and Erina made.

* * *

*Flashback*

"Papa… Who's Erina?" Etsuko asked as Sōma entered her room to tuck her in for the night. Sōma instantly froze and slowly turned to his side to see the scrapbook that he and Erina made together through their years of dating.

"Where did you find this…" Sōma asked as he reached for the scrapbook.

Etsuko hid in her covers, afraid that her father would be upset at her.

"It fell out of that box…" Etsuko pointed at a box that was beside her bookshelf. Sōma sighed and kissed her on the forehead. He then tucked her comfortably under her sheets and sat beside Etsuko.

"She's your Momma, Honey." Sōma finally admitted the thing that he was holding back on Etsuko for so long. The little girl beside him tilted her head in confusion and took another closer look at Erina's pictures.

"You and your Momma look so much alike." Tears fell from Sōma's face as Etsuko murmured something towards him.

"I love Papa and Momma…" she mumbled to Sōma before falling asleep. Sōma clutched his heart close, feeling that warmth that swelled from inside. Picking up the scrapbook from Etsuko's hands, he quietly got out of her room.

"What do I do now…" Sōma sobbed out in front of Etsuko's door. He was careful to not let her hear him, covering his mouth to keep down the uncontrollable sobs that escaped his mouth. Sōma held closer their memories in his chest with a sad smile on his face.

*End of Flashback*

* * *

"That's the last of it." Sōma said, smiling in content as they closed the door of their attic. He wiped beads of his sweat from his forehead before coming downstairs to their kitchen to get something to drink.

"I'm proud of you." Joichirou patted Sōma's shoulder and handed his son a glass of water.

"I wish I was as strong as you when your mother passed away." Joichirou commented with a small smile on his face. It was then Sōma's turn to pat his father on the shoulder.

"Hey Pops… Do you want to come with me and Etsuko to that mochi store we always go to when I pick her up from school?"

Joichirou leaned back from his seat and recalled what Sōma was talking about. It had been a few days now since Etsuko started going to school.

"Ohhh, was that the store that Etsuko was gushing about. I see, ain't that the one with that nice lady?" Joichirou teased as he wiggled his eyebrows at Sōma suggestively.

'Fuck. Busted.' Sōma gulped. Joichirou won't stop bugging him about this until he would fess up.

"Y-Yeah… Me and Etsuko are friends with the owner of the store." Sōma played it off cool as he tried to fend off Joichirou's suspicious looks towards him.

"As much as I want to meet that nice girl you were talking about, I can't make it. Me and Gin are going out for a few drinks since he's in town." Sōma nodded and let out a sigh of relief. He felt relieved that Joichirou won't be grilling him for questions later on.

"Alright then, it's time to pick up Etsuko anyway. I'll be going ahead now Pops!" Sōma grinned as he went out of their house.

* * *

 _Sumire Elementary School…_

" _Okay class! Don't forget to tell your parents about our upcoming school play!"_ Etsuko's teacher smiled at them before dismissing the class. The play that they were going to do was Beauty and the Beast.

Etsuko was nervous when she had found out that she was going to play Belle. The little girl was anxious when numerous girls wanted to play the part instead of her. The teacher however, wanted Etsuko to play as Belle since Etsuko was the best singer out of the numerous kids there.

" _Oi Haru! We'll be playing dodgeball! Wanna join?"_ a kid yelled from afar as Haru and Etsuko were coming out of their classroom.

"Sure!" he replied happily towards the kid. Haru placed his bag on his locker before heading off to join his other friends, leaving Etsuko behind.

'What should I do then…' Etsuko thought. She wasn't friends with anyone other than Haru. The little girl scanned around the school playground, looking for something to do as she waits to be picked up by her dad.

"Flowerbed it is then!" Etsuko eventually decided to go by the flower beds and play there instead. The little girl squealed in surprise when she saw a dandelion fluttering in the wind.

"What should I wish for…" Etsuko mutters as she picks up the flower.

'I wish Papa would come sooner…' she closed her eyes and wished on the dandelion before blowing onto it. The seed head of the flower carried off into the wind as Etsuko giggled, seeing the pretty seeds of the dandelion being scattered off.

"Kiddo, are you ready to go now?" Etsuko blinked before quickly turning around to pounce on Sōma who just arrived. The other kids were being picked up by their parents as well. Etsuko looked around to see Haru before she leaves.

"Papa, have you seen Haru?" Etsuko asked. Sōma shook his head and tried to help Etsuko look for the little boy as well.

"Fancy seeing you here, Yukihira." A woman teased Sōma as he and Etsuko were about to leave the school.

"Haru!" Etsuko waved off to her friend and joined him to play as their parents talked.

Rindō Kobayashi was picking up her son Haru when she saw Sōma picking up Etsuko. The woman giggled at the cute sight in front of them when she saw how happy her son was when he played with Etsuko.

"Yukihira, did Etsuko-chan already told you about the play?" Rindō asked towards Sōma.

"They're going to make a play?"

"Yup! Haru told me earlier, he's pretty excited about it. It's a pretty cute version of Beauty and the Beast."

"Oh! I'll ask Etsuko about it later then. What part is Haru playing?" Sōma asked. Back in his middle school days, Sōma remembered participating in their school play, a classic Romeo and Juliet play.

"Haru's playing the Beast. I've already been thinking of some costume ideas for him earlier. I wanna dress up my little boy in a cute devil's outfit, but the teachers told me to not make him look a little too scary." Rindō whined out with her arms crossed.

"I wonder what part Etsuko is going to play…" Sōma leant back on one the benches while he waited for Haru and Etsuko to finish playing.

* * *

Sōma and Etsuko were on their way home after Etsuko finished playing with Haru. The father and daughter pair walked hand in hand towards Atra's store with smiles on their faces, excited to meet-up again with the friendly woman.

"Miss Atra!" Etsuko greeted Atra with a hug as she was serving her customers. Atra chuckled and patted Etsuko's head with a smile.

"Well hello there Etsuko-chan!" Atra turned back to the customers to finish up their orders, packing them up in take-out boxes and selling them. The mochi store had been a huge success. Plenty of people that came by on the shop's opening day were now store-regulars.

Sōma and Etsuko sat down on a table while they waited for Atra to finish tending to the customers. For the special today, Atra had made red bean mochi which goes well with tea.

The shop's busy crowd soon dissipated, easing Atra's burden.

"That was a tough day…" she mutters as she sat down with Sōma and Etsuko. Atra had brought their orders to them while she rubs her sore shoulder.

"Miss Atra, I'm nervous…" Etsuko said towards the woman. Sōma raised an eyebrow and saw Etsuko avoiding his look. Atra looked back at Sōma, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Why? What happened?" she asks in concern towards the little girl.

"We have a play coming up… And I'll be playing Belle…" Etsuko shyly whispers to Atra's ear. Atra then looks back at Sōma and winks at him with a grin on her face along with a thumbs-up.

"Can we tell your Papa?" Atra asks permission first towards Etsuko before saying something to Sōma. Etsuko nods and picks up a mochi to munch on as Atra tells Sōma.

"Well, she says that she's really nervous for a play that's coming up. She's playing Belle on their little Beauty and the Beast play." Atra explains to Sōma who nods while patting Etsuko's head.

"Ohhh, so that's why. Your friend Haru's playing the Beast right?" Sōma asks with a teasing smile towards Etsuko.

"Y-Yeah…" Etsuko tries to avoid Sōma's teasing and covers her face. Atra smacks Sōma on the head for teasing Etsuko, patting the girl on her back while shooting a look towards Sōma.

'Yikes, she can be an angry Momma Bear sometimes…' Sōma couldn't help but smile towards the two. They looked like mother and daughter, the way Atra consoles Etsuko as Etsuko shares to her about the things that she's nervous about.

"Do you have a costume yet?" Atra asks towards Etsuko who then shrugs and tells her that they have to find costumes.

"Hold on…' Atra pats Etsuko's head as she flips the shop's sign. The woman came back to the two of them with a measuring tape. Etsuko immediately giggles when Atra takes her measurements.

"You're going to make me a costume, Miss Atra?!" Etsuko asks with hopeful eyes. Atra nods while she writes down the numbers on a piece of paper.

"I didn't know you can sow dresses?" Sōma asks in confusion. Atra hums in response, retrieving a sketchpad from upstairs her house to show Sōma her previous designs. Etsuko was awestruck when she was flipping the pages of the sketchpad.

"My mother taught me all the things I know…" Atra smiled as she sketches through a piece of paper on the sketchpad that she took.

'It must be nice to have a Mom…' Sōma thought as he looked at Etsuko with a sad smile. He raised her right, but he can never give Etsuko the loving touch that a mother could. There were things that he wanted for her to experience, Sōma would be lying to himself if he denied to ever want to feel the love of a woman again.

* * *

The sun soon set and it was nearing nighttime when Atra finished her sketch. She managed to downsize Belle's first dress that was blue and white with a blue ribbon to match for Etsuko's work. Satisfied with her work, Atra held the sketch up to Sōma and Etsuko.

"What do you think?" she asks with a grin. Etsuko gently took the piece of paper from Atra's hand and hugged it with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Miss Atra! I love it!" the little girl hugs Atra while she giggles in excitement.

It was time for Sōma and Etsuko to go home when it started to rain down hard. The three of them were getting hungry since it was also dinner time.

"Iwatani-san, do you mind if we borrow an umbrella?" Sōma asks as the rain kept pouring outside. Atra went upstairs to give back Sōma's umbrella that she forgot to give back to him.

"The timing is always so wrong when I'm about to give it back to you." Atra chuckled as Sōma and Etsuko opened the door. The wind and rain were too strong for them to safely get home. Sōma shut the door and went back inside to the store after Atra's advice.

"Did you two get wet?" she asks in concern while bringing Sōma and Etsuko some spare towels.

"We're so sorry to bother you, Iwatani-san…"

Their stomach grumbling further embarrassed Sōma. A shy smile was seen on both the father and daughter when Atra invited the two of them upstairs for dinner.

"So… What're you two feeling to eat?" Atra smiled, shuffling through her well-stocked fridge for some fresh ingredients to use. It was Sōma's cue to step-in to cook for the three of them as a way of repaying Atra's hospitality.

"How about I do the cooking?" Sōma teased from behind Atra. He tied his headband to his head and made Atra sit back down on her table with Etsuko.

Sōma opted for a simple dish, one that he could sometimes consider his signature dish. He took out fresh chicken wings from Atra's freezer to start defrosting them, a bottle of sesame oil, a carton of eggs and some stalks of spring onion.

Etsuko immediately lightened up when she saw those familiar ingredients being prepared. The little girl clamored for her father. Etsuko looked from afar and admired the passion and tender-care that her father puts in into preparing their dinner.

'A dish that speaks to the heart…' Sōma repeated his mantra inside his head. Cooking was always more fun when he had people to cook for. There was never a dull moment in Sōma's career as a chef.

There was a sudden stop at his cooking when he felt his hands shaking.

"When was the last time that I made this…" he whispers to himself as he was absent-mindedly finishing up the process of plating the dishes.

"Yukihira-kun?" Atra quips with a concerned look. Sōma shook his head and smiled away the grief and pang of sadness that he felt.

"Tada! Here's my signature transforming furikake gohan!" he served them three bowls of the steaming rice.

The first bite into the dish made Atra feel something subtle that Sōma forgot to add when he was cooking the dish. There was something in the dish that screamed something was missing; there was an underlying feeling of the dish tasting somewhat incomplete.

"Papa?" Etsuko turns to Sōma in confusion when he stopped eating. Sōma reassured her that nothing was going on, opting to keep quiet instead of further dabbling on the matter that was stuck inside his head.

"This dish means a lot to you, huh Yukihira-san?" Atra quipped with a contented smile on her face after she finished her meal. She went over to pick up Etsuko's dishes after the little girl finished her own meal. Setting down the plates and bowls on the sink, Atra turned on the faucet and began to do the dishes.

'Did she notice?' Sōma pondered. He went over to Atra and helped in doing the dishes, much to her dismay.

"I can do this bit, Yukihira-san. That was a delicious dinner!" she smiled. Sōma leaned back unto his seat and closed his eyes for a minute.

* * *

*Dream Sequence*

"Sōma?" he heard Erina's voice calling out to him. Sōma opened his eyes and saw Erina smiling down on him with her own gentle smile.

"I never thought it would be this hard…" Sōma admitted. Erina was the person that drove Sōma to such lengths when it came down to improving himself and doing better. She was always the person that motivated him to cook from the heart and give it his all.

"Silly, you have Her now." Erina chuckled, kissing Sōma's forehead while she played with his hair.

"Erina… What do I do now?"

"You let her in." Erina replied while humming to her and Sōma's favorite song. The choice of words used by Erina might've come across as a bit vague, but Sōma understood what she meant.

"I'm really glad that it's her, Sōma." He felt tears coming from Erina. The imaginary plane around them played like a movie as it flashed through the little moments that Atra and Sōma had shared.

"When did you-" Sōma felt speechless when he recounted the times that he and Atra had been connecting with each other. Their lives had been woven together as much as he'd like to deny, she had been a part of his life from the start of his trip in Saint Gallen.

"You know… I'm really glad that you've met a wonderful person like her." Erina leaned her head onto Sōma's shoulder as they watched the series of flashes together.

"I'm really happy for you, Sōma. Thank you for moving on…" the last memory of his that played out was the one where he and Etsuko made mochi with Atra.

*End of Dream Sequence*

* * *

Sōma groaned awake, his head was throbbing from amount of things that he kept on bottling up inside. Atra went over to him with a mug of tea and a shy smile on her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks to him. Atra sat on the opposite side of Sōma and watched him blew into his hot drink while she waited for his response.

"Sorry about that… I was having dreams again about my late-wife." He finally let it out and shared to Atra the pain that he felt for the past few years. Their talk over tea was something that Sōma desperately needed. He kept quiet when he was talking about Erina around Etsuko, not wanting to wake up his daughter who was sleeping on the other couch.

"I'm really glad that you've shared that to me, Yukihira-kun." Atra beamed at Sōma with a sincere smile on her face. She washed away all the worries that he felt and for that, Sōma couldn't help but feel thankful that he had the chance to meet her.

"We should probably head back now. It's getting a little too late…" Sōma stood up to carry Etsuko in his back without waking up the little girl. They went downstairs shortly after gathering their things.

The cool breeze of the night filled the shop with its cold air upon opening the door. Sōma turned back to Atra with a grin on his face. He felt so relieved and reinvigorated after finally telling someone all the insecurities and pain that he'd been bottling up for years.

"Iwatani-san… I hope that it was fate that led me into meeting you. I really appreciate all the things that you did for me and Etsuko."

Atra held her hand closer to her chest and nodded, unable to say anything from the nervousness that she was feeling. When Sōma was about to leave, she grabbed onto his jacket timidly.

"I-If you ever feel sad again… O-Or want to talk about things th-that are bothering you… Please don't be afraid to talk to me about it." She held his gaze with a determined look on her face.

'These two… They slowly began to mean more to me than anything else…' is the thought that ran through Atra's head. Etsuko and Sōma who were just ordinary customers at first, began to mean more to her like family.

Sōma put a hand on Atra's head, patting it gently with a small smile on his face.

"We'll be in your care then…" he uttered before leaving.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ Review if you enjoyed it! I really had fun making this chapter since this chapter was the 'proper' send-off to Erina. Sōma putting away her belongings in the attic is meant to symbolize that he's ready to move on with the next chapter of his life. Erina is still important to him, but the dream he had with her is meant to say that: Erina will forever love him, but he needs to move on with his life because he still has plenty of things to live for.**

 **So that was just a short explanation of it all to y'all in case you feel cheated on me killing off Erina in this story. I know that plenty of you guy would've reviewed or went nuts if this was a family driven fic. with Sōma and Erina - but hey, this is my story that I wanted to write in a narrative that delves on the reality that Joichirou faced when Sōma's mother passed away.**

 **Atra's character is meant to support Sōma to help him heal and possibly fill-in as a mother for Etsuko. I built her character to specifically cater the needs of a broken Sōma who is racked with grief. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished so far; with or without reviews - I'm doing this story and finishing it for the people that matter and have supported me.**


	12. Chapter 10

**A:N/ Sorry for the late upload. I've been experiencing some tremendous amount of writer's block recently. I don't know how to push through some story parts (but the whole story is done. I've been sprucing it up for a while. Plus the drafting and story flow is already finished so I just need to write some chapters left xD) Anywho, this chapter would be the first half of chapter 10, I'll be uploading the next chapter after a while (please let me rest from all the requests being made from my other stories XD)**

* * *

Idle Realities

* * *

Atra continuously toiled away at sowing Etsuko's dress for the play. Sōma on the other hand, helped his daughter practice her lines. It was only the three of them in their little world. After the mochi store closes each day, they would continue their work. With the play coming up in the following day, they were all tired after a long day.

"I think you already nailed it pretty well." Sōma complimented to Etsuko. He was proud at his daughter's hard work in practicing. It also didn't help that Etsuko was excited about the play.

"Papa, can Miss Atra go see the play?" Etsuko's eyes twinkled with anticipation. Sōma looked over to Atra when she heard them. He then saw her hiding a grin with a flush face.

"I guess that's a yes. What time is it starting?"

"Afternoon! The teacher said that it would be on three o' clock." Etsuko's enthusiasm made it all worth their combined efforts. Her precious smile relieved their tireless moments. It was enough to make the two adults gush at how cute the little girl is.

"Etsuko-chan, do you want to try on your dress?" The little girl jumped for joy when she saw her cute little dress. It had great stitch work on it, courtesy of the countless of hours done by Atra. She couldn't be any more proud when she saw the glee on Etsuko's face when she first wore the dress.

Atra led Etsuko to a mirror in her room. She fixed up Etsuko's hair, tying it into a braid like what Belle did to her hair. The finishing touch was a small kiss on the top of the little girl's head when she saw that all her hard work paid off.

"Do you like it?" Atra asked. There were no more words that came out of Etsuko's mouth. It was a curt bow and hug that caught Atra off guard. Etsuko buried her head onto the crook of Atra's neck lovingly.

"Thank you so much Momma…" Etsuko's words that slipped out caused Atra to blush. It was time she was referred to so lovingly by anyone. She felt warmth and comfort hugging the little girl. Etsuko had managed to tip-toe her way into Atra's heart.

"Miss Atra… Are you upset?" her shaky tone made Atra worried. Etsuko probably realized it that she slipped her words. What gravity did that word hold?

"It's okay Etsuko-chan…" she whispers to Etsuko. It felt nice being called like that fondly by Etsuko. There was a light feeling from Atra's chest that she couldn't explain.

"Etsuko chan, how about we join your Papa downstairs for some snacks?" she offered. It should be enough to satisfy their hunger before dinner. The pair went downstairs shortly after, holding hands while conversing about what they could do tomorrow after the play.

A tiny smile curled up on the face of Sōma when he saw the pair. They looked so natural, Atra and Etsuko. It made Sōma realize that Erina was right. He couldn't be more thankful now that Atra is in their lives.

"What were you two talking about?" Sōma couldn't help but ask. He saw the smiles on both his daughter and Atra and couldn't help but ponder what made the two so ecstatic. Atra leans back with his arms behind her. She had a lopsided grin on her face while trying to further confuse Sōma.

"It's a secret, right Etsuko-chan?" she teased. Etsuko nodded furiously and stuck out her tongue towards her father.

"We're not telling Papa!" Sōma sighed and ruffled up his daughter's hair in annoyance.

"Geez, you two are weird…"

* * *

After their short snack break at Atra's house, Sōma and Etsuko walked back home. Sōma's hand wrapped around Etsuko as he was whistling his favorite tune – Take On Me, the same song that him and Atra heard when they had their most awkward moment back then in Saint Gallen.

"Papa, do you like Miss Atra?" Etsuko's innocent eyes stared at her father. Sōma would be lying if he didn't saw the underlying hopefulness in Etsuko's eyes. It also didn't cross Sōma's mind then, to think of Atra more than a friend. There was a pause in his reply before he said it out loud honestly.

"I don't really know. Maybe one day I'll have feelings for her. Do you want me to?" Sōma crouched down and asked his daughter. Etsuko tried to hide the creeping blush on her face. Try as she might, the little girl couldn't stop thinking about the kind woman. Atra had become her role model after quite some time.

Etsuko shyly nodded. "Yes… Miss Atra's really really nice…" Sōma smiled and kissed the top of her head. There were a lot of things about his friendship with Atra that also affected Etsuko. For one, he felt more secured since she was around. His friends are always there for them, but even they had their own families to take care of. Most days, it was only him, his father and Etsuko. Having Atra around to teach Etsuko about things made things a lot easier.

"Papa… Can I see my Momma?" it was a simple question that made Sōma anxious. He wasn't too confident yet on telling Etsuko. But nonetheless, he wasn't going to hide Erina anymore.

"Honey, when we get home, I'll give you something." With a deep breath, Sōma gathered himself. He was finally letting go, and now was the right time to let Etsuko know a little bit more about Erina.

When they reached home, Etsuko had been a quiet and reserved. She didn't annoy Sōma nor bugged him. The little girl was surprisingly queasy about the matter. After getting changed, Sōma knocked on her door.

"Etsuko, can I come in?" he asked. In his palm, he held his chain necklace with their rings closer to his chest. Along with the small chain was a photograph of Sōma and Erina out on their first date.

Etsuko opened her door and pulled Sōma in by the hand. She tucked herself in bed and hid in her sheets. The little girl wasn't so confident now when the matter was in front of her. Sōma sat beside her and reassured her that he wasn't upset.

"Etsuko, I want you to meet your Momma Erina." He had a loving smile on his face when he presented their picture to her. It was a precious memory that he held dear after all these years. His picture with Erina was when they were holding hands and were leaning into each other while the fireworks display was showing in the night sky. At the back of the photograph were some scribbles that Sōma didn't know were there until today.

"Wait what's this…"

On the back of the photograph, Sōma read the letter that was written neatly by Erina's hand. It was no mistaken that it was her handwriting on the photograph. He scanned it over with a small smile on his face. Etsuko couldn't read much at the time, so it was a mystery to the girl what was on the photograph.

Tugging at Sōma's sleeve, Etsuko peered up to her father with her innocent eyes searching for an answer.

"Papa, what does it say?" she wondered. Sōma ruffled up her hair and held her closer. He sat her on his lap and read to her Erina's special letter to them both.

"To Little Etsuko…" he read. The letter must've been written when Erina was pregnant. Etsuko hadn't been born yet at the time of the letter's date.

"That's me…" the little girl whispered. Sōma hummed and continued reading the letter while he rested his head on top of Etsuko's.

"This is me and your Papa out on our first date. It was also the first time that I've been kissed. Etsuko, I'm so excited to see you in a couple of days. Your Papa is on a business trip, so he's going to have to come soon when you're about to be born. We love you so much. I hope that this letter finds you well one day. You both are my world, my two precious treasures that make life sweet. Love… Your Momma…" Etsuko turned her head around to look upwards at Sōma.

"Momma was really nice…" she smiled at Sōma. It was a brief moment of acceptance for the two of them. Erina was gone, but never forgotten. She was the best part of Sōma that he still misses every day. Through the pain, the father-daughter pair know that they had to move on and be strong for Erina's sake.

"Me and your Momma wanted you to have this…" Etsuko wondered what Sōma was talking about. Etsuko held out her hand when Sōma dropped his chain necklace of their wedding rings on Etsuko's palms.

"This was the proof of our love, Honey. We wanted you to have this because you're our love." He smiled. It was a huge leap of maturity that Sōma took. He tucked in Etsuko before he left with a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, sleep tight…"

* * *

The day of Etsuko's play was already here. Sōma chuckled at Etsuko's excitement in the morning. She had been bugging him to practice with her and he gladly accepted. She was a natural at acting. He couldn't be any more proud at his daughter's hard work. Atra came knocking at their door not long after. She came by to drop off the extra accessory that she made for Etsuko the night before.

"Iwatani-san?" Sōma was still surprised when she was at his door. They planned on meeting up, but Atra looked frazzled and tired. He let her inside and wondered what was on the small paper bag that she was holding.

"Miss Atra!" Etsuko jumped for joy and hugged the woman when she saw her coming in.

"I forgot her shoes…" Atra worded breathlessly. Sōma tilted his head and immediately felt embarrassed when he saw her taking out a box of shoes from the paper bag earlier.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry for troubling you… How much were the shoes?" Sōma couldn't hide the redness of his face. Being so engrossed by Etsuko practicing her lines with her costume, he forgot that she was always practicing her lines barefooted.

"Oh no… Don't mind it… I insist." She fitted Etsuko's little feet with her shoes. The little girl was embarrassed at the attention she was receiving from the woman.

"Thank you Miss Atra…" she mumbled, wrapping her arms around Atra's neck and thanking the woman.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ So this was a short chapter that I've put together. The latter half of this will be released sometime next week of the week after (our school semester starts next week) If you finished reading, please don't forget to leave a review in here for me! Thank you for your continued support! T'ill next chapter!**


	13. Ending

**A:N/ So this is the ending to Shokugeki No Sōma: After Years! We're finally here bois. I know that I said before that I wanted things to go through so much more jazz, but let's keep it simple. I wanted to end this story after a while because I felt that I was riding on it's fame too much. To the loyal reader's that has been with this story ever since day 1 (during it's beta version) I thank you all so much.**

 **To my friends who've come a long way of supporting me after many many months of me revising and re-doing parts of this story, I couldn't be more thankful enough to have such loyal readers. This story is official over, I gave it my all and I hope it reaches to you readers.**

 **It started with a small story concept that I had on the back of my head, but after many months of staying with it... I've grown so much as a writer. Thank you all again and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did when making it.**

* * *

My Dearest

* * *

Sōma's POV:

I wonder since when it had started. I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever me and Atra were coincidentally left alone or are put in compromising situations. It's weird. Plenty of people at her shop often confuse us in being in a relationship. They say that we'd make a great couple, but that's just silly. Before anything else, I'm a father to Etsuko.

Right…?

"Yukihira-kun… It's starting…" seated beside me at the auditorium of Etsuko's school was Iwatani-san. Thankfully she was here, without her, I wonder if Etsuko's costume would be as cute as she is right now.

On the stage at the beginning of the play, there stood Etsuko in her cute little blue dress. There was a swell of pride that was felt when I saw my little smiling at me from the stage. She can do this easily she's my daughter after all.

Later into the play, I felt Atra's head leaning towards me as she yawned in exhaustion. I could see the grey bags under her eyes. Did she stay up all those nights just so she could finish Etsuko's dress? Why would she go that far for her?

"What's your favorite thing on earth?" I was caught by surprise by this line. I saw Haru in his beast costume approaching Etsuko. His little ram horns and pointy tail looked great for a costume. Rindō-senpai really put some effort into his costume.

"Books of course!" Etsuko chirped at the beast as Haru pranced around looking hostile for the part. If I recall correctly, this was the part where the beast saves Belle from the wolves in the forest.

"Mhmmm Yukihira-kun…" I shifted my gaze towards Iwatani-san when I heard her mumble my name. Why would she? I don't want to wake her up since it would be rude of me to do so after all that she's done. I brush it off, feeling slightly jittered by the sudden mumbling.

Focusing on the play, they were now at the part where Belle starts warming up to the beast. Etsuko was slightly blushing when Haru took her dancing. They looked cute, but there was a sinking feeling of annoyance within me. I don't want my baby girl to grow up too fast now do I?

" _Ahhh, but do you not see, mon cheri? Our master is warming up to you…"_ winked a kid dressed in a candle-holder costume. Most likely he was the Lumière in this play.

" _Could it be that the master's heart is being thawed by this girl?"_ whispered a girl wearing a tea-pot costume, this time it should be Mrs. Potts.

" _But of course! The young master has become more and more selfless because of her!"_ a pudgy kid wearing a clock's costume chided. What was his name again? I think this was supposed to be Cogsworth guy.

"I have to go!" a panicked Etsuko came into their conversation. The other kids looked at her in shock, possibly because this was the part where Belle sees her father in danger. In a brisk conversation, Etsuko exited the stage as they set around another scene of the play.

" _Young master… Why did you let her go?"_ asked the kid- Lumière. Haru was really selling it, looking distraught with the same look of hurt that the beast had when Belle left.

"She was never mine to begin with…" the crowd sighed and we were taken by surprise with the script that the kids are following.

"She was never mine to begin with… Huh…" I repeated the line over and over. It somehow struck to me that this line kind of described my situation with Iwatani-san. When was it when I started looking at her in a different light? Did I ever notice her in a different way?

I leaned back into my chair and kept thinking about it. I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm being irrational.

" _Why don't you fight for her, young master?"_ again, lines from the play made me rethink what the hell I was doing all this time. For a children's play, their dialogue is really good. I wonder how long these kids practiced…

"Would she still take me as I am? Mrs. Potts… I'm a monster." From the sleeves of my shirt, I couldn't help but unconsciously touch the scars that I've done to myself. What right do I have to even think about looking at Iwatani-san in a different way?

I wonder why Haru was crying all of a sudden. Was it part of the play? It probably was, but the crying seemed so genuine when he exited the stage for the next scene. When the lights came back on, there he was on the last scene of the play.

" _Did you ever think that Belle would love a hideous beast like you?!"_ I chortled a little at the accuracy of the line from the kid playing Gaston. He drew out his toy dagger and pretended to stab Haru.

"No!" Etsuko's shrill of fear suddenly woke up Iwatani-san who was still leaning her head onto my shoulder.

"What the…" when Iwatani-san raised her head, we were inches apart from each other. I could feel her breath. I could see her intense verdant green eyes that looked at me in embarrassment. She froze on the spot. She looked so conflicted and ashamed for no reason.

"I-I-I-I'M SO SORRY!" she blurted out a little too loud, enough for the play to momentarily stop and for the crowds of parents to look at us. I dismissed it by reassuring her, but it did little next to nothing in terms of Iwatani-san's remaining dignity.

Why did she freeze like that? It wasn't a big deal anyway. But why did it feel like I'm lying to myself right now? What the hell are these thoughts that I'm thinking of?!

"Please… Don't go…" Back at the play, Etsuko was holding Haru's head on her lap. The other servant kids were watching in awe at the adorable pair. Etsuko was great at acting. For the finale, she kissed Haru on the forehead, causing the boy to immediately yelp up in surprise.

"W-W-W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" the curtain closed at the sight of Haru's beet-red face. I couldn't help but laugh at the kid's sudden outburst.

We met up with Etsuko soon after they got their pictures taken by the parents. I got my camera out and snapped a few pictures of her. A smile crept its way up to my lips when I saw Iwatani-san hugging and congratulating her. Since when did the two started to look like mother-daughter? This was getting bad. I needed to clear my head out of these silly thoughts before I damage anything between us.

"Iwatani-san, could you watch over Etsuko for a little bit? I'm going out for some air…" she nodded, looking worried along with Etsuko.

"Where's Papa going?" I faintly heard her ask from Iwatani-san before I left. I'm being an irresponsible parent by leaving my daughter with her, but was it really that bad if it was Iwatani-san?

But then again…

I can't possibly think of her that way…

Right…?

"What's gotten you so down in the dumps, Yukihira-kun?" I peered over to my shoulder and saw Rindō-senpai walking behind me. Could she possibly know? There are plenty of things in my mind right now that I'm not even thinking of things clearly. I slapped my cheeks a little bit hard to snap me out of it.

"Nothing's wrong, senpai!" I defended. Rindō-senpai sat beside me on the bench and crossed her arms.

"Bullshit, Yukihira-kun. You're making that stupid face again when you're thinking about something. Tell me, is it about that lady-friend of yours?" her eyes glinted with malice and mischief. She caught on to me. Even if I tried to deny things to her, she already has me cornered.

"I suck at being a parent…" was the first thing that popped into my mind. Rindō-senpai gave me a pat on the shoulder as she chuckles.

"You are, but at the same time, you're also rocking it pretty well for a single dad." She winked. From the beginning that Etsuko was born, was I enough for her? Had Erina been her with us, could Etsuko have been raised differently?

"Rindō-senpai… Is it wrong to have feelings for someone when I'm already a widower?" I never got around to talking too much about this with Pops, mainly because he never really dated anyone else when Mom died.

"You're sure that you're feeling something for that friend of yours? This isn't something like a one-night stand, right?" I could think of a list of things in my head that happened between me and Iwatani-san. Talking with her, laughing with her, getting to know her ever since we met by chance in Saint Gallen… I couldn't exactly tell what I was feeling up to this point.

"W-Well… I care a lot about her. She's a great person that has been with me and Etsuko ever since she moved here…" Rindō-senpai crossed her arms and stood up, heading back towards the auditorium.

"Wait here…" I heard her say before she left.

"What the- What the hell is this..." I came across a mysterious video file on my camera. It confused my how this got here, I didn't recall a time that I shot a video of something with this thing. What could it be?

* * *

Rindō's POV:

I hate it when that moron can't take the hint. He was obviously feeling something towards his lady-friend, but I wonder why he can't even move? Sure Etsuko was a factor, but ain't that chick already attached to Etsuko by now?

Looking around at the numerous parents swarming their kids and their friends, I saw a patch of pink hair and saw Etsuko with that woman. She looked cute, really cute. But what was it that Yukihira-kun find intimidating to her?

"Oi! C'mere for a sec!" I called to her. Etsuko knows me by know, so it's good that she trusted me enough to encourage the woman with her to talk with me. Who was she in the first place?

"Uhmm… Why did you call for me?" she asks. Now that I look at her closely, she looks a bit like Hisako, only she has longer hair and looked thinner compared to Hisako.

"Woman to woman talk." I asked her straight up. She tensed up and I couldn't help but feel like a bitch for suddenly pulling her into this awkward conversation with me.

"E-Excuse me?" I wanted to clear things up for her and Yukihira-kun. The idiot won't move, but seeing him in that sorry-ass state puts a sour taste in my mouth for some reason. He's like a little brother to me, you know?

"What's your relationship with Yukihira-kun?" A blunt approach this time could shake her up. Was it too strong though? I saw her fiddling with her hands and looking down, the same sorry-ass look that Yukihira-kun was having earlier.

"W-We're only friends. They're regulars at my store and that's basically how we met…" Bullshit. Like hell are you two 'only friends'.

"I'm Kobayashi Rindō, I'm an old friend of Yukihira-kun." I put up my best smile to try and break down her walls a little bit. She was too tense after all. She took my hand and shook it.

"Iwatani Atra…" There's something between them. I can smell it from the little things that they say about each other.

"Iwatani-kun… Do you ever feel something more for Yukihira-kun?" we talked a bit more since Etsuko was still busy with their friends and teachers. So it gave parents a bit of downtime before they start going home after the play.

We sat down together near some chairs with a nearby vending machine. After be both got our drinks, we exchanged a few stories between her and I that concerned Yukihira-kun.

"Ahh… I get it, so you two first met when he went on a trip to Saint Gallen?" I couldn't believe the odds that these two met again. Like how the hell can you meet again after such a long time? There's something brewing here, and I'm here to snuff it out for the best interest of Yukihira-kun and Etsuko-chan.

"Y-Yes… He and I went on a few adventures here and there back in Saint Gallen." Bingo. So something DID happen, even if it didn't involve sex.

"Let me ask you one more time, Iwatani-kun… Do you ever feel something more for Yukihira-kun and his daughter?" this time, I caught her at her most vulnerable state. The look on her face contorted into guilt. So that's what she was feeling…

"I'm in no position to feel anything for the two of them…" this girl was getting on my nerves…

"Well hey now; think of it this way… Don't you think that its fate that led you into meeting up with Yukihira-kun again… After all these years?" a flash of hope, and hope did I give to this woman. She smiled gently and nodded.

"I believe it was fate, but I can never bring myself to fully admit that I feel some inkling feelings towards them." Well that turned out in a different way that I was expecting…

"Why do you think so?" I asked. A tight smile formed on her lips and I could see the mask chipping away slightly.

"Because I can never take his late-wife's place nor become the mother that Etsuko-chan needs." Damn. That was probably the most mature and heaviest thing that I heard anyone say.

"I'm in no place to give you advice… But couldn't you at least have faith in the two of them?" I was slightly hurt for Yukihira-kun when Iwatani-kun thought that she was only being Erina's replacement. It was so wrong that the misunderstanding between them could've been easily resolved if they'd just talked it out.

"What if things don't work out…" I hear her mumble. So that's what kept her mind off of it… I gently took her hands and gave her the most motherly advice that a woman can give to another woman.

"Sweetie, that man and little girl that you've befriended thinks the world of you." She trembled a little and tried to look away.

"But what if-"

"But what if things do work out between the three of you? Haven't you already given yourself so much time to think about this? After all those stories that you told me, there isn't a way that you don't feel something special towards them, right?" she looked down on the table and nodded. I finally got to her!

"What should I do…" I nearly threw my head back in frustration from this woman. She's like another version of Yukihira-kun.

"You go woman-up and tell that man and his daughter that you're interested in taking the next step with them." I patted her on the shoulders and went outside. It's time that she decides for herself on what she wants to do.

* * *

Sōma's POV:

(Play the song: My Dearest by Supercell)

I leaned back on the bench, constantly replaying the video that was left on my camera.

When did Erina made this…?

" **Hey Honey… If you're watching this… I probably would've left this world by now. I decided to make this because after you left, I got a call from the doctors saying that there was only a slim chance for me to survive… I don't want you to blame yourself for going through with that competition overseas since I would've died anyway. I love you Honey don't you dare forget! Now you go out there and find another love! Don't let me tie you down… I'm going to miss you both so much…"**

The video cut to that part. All I felt was remorse. But why did Erina didn't talk to me about this… How the hell could she just let me leave back then without saying that she'll die soon after giving birth… What the fuck is all this?

"Papa?" I fought through the tears and saw Etsuko looking sad towards me. I immediately embraced her and kissed the top of her head. After letting go of Erina… I didn't think that she would've known already that her days on earth are already numbered.

"Etsuko-chan? Have you seen your Papa yet?" Her gentle voice rung to my ears and all ran through my mind was what Erina said on the video on the camera.

"Y-Yukihira-kun… There you are…" I felt a strong surge in my chest. Was it really okay for me to accept this feeling? After Erina's message… Can I finally share my world with someone again?

"I'm here, Atra… Thank you for always being there…" I blurted out through the tears and saw her smile gently on me. She held out her hand and I accepted it.

"I didn't think that things would play out like this…" she whispered. Etsuko smiled from afar and we invited her in for a hug.

I never thought that I could ever love another person again. It took me four years to even develop this inkling feeling towards anyone. Atra… Her name has a nice ring to it, don't you think? I was trembling under her grasp. All of my doubts were washed away when I saw how blinded I was after all this time. It took me so long to realize that I was already harboring feelings; my heart was beating, and it took me the longest time to realize that the person I was hugging changed my life and Etsuko's.

It was such a bright day. The sun was setting and from afar, I could see a person smiling towards us. Her silhouette and, hair and amethyst eyes were no illusion. From ahead of us, I saw Erina smiling as she waved off and walked into the openness of the world, disappearing immediately from plain sight.

"Atra… Can we really make this work?" I asked. Everything became clear between us. I wonder what Rindō-senpai said to her. Were things moving too fast? Did she even know what I was referring to? I could only imagine the shame I would feel if she misunderstood what I said.

"T-Then… Would you give 'Us' a chance, Sōma-kun, Etsuko-chan?" Atra meekly looked down while blushing. We weren't ready for anything too intimate, but the hug was more than enough. I squeezed her hand and gave it a soft kiss.

"Are we a family now?!" Etsuko kept asking us whilst jumping up and down. It was so new that it almost freaked me out. Was this how it would've felt if our 'family' was complete? I looked at Atra with a strained smile and saw her shook her head while giggling.

"I guess we are?" she smiled, looking towards me for reconfirmation.

"I'll have you know that ever since we danced together at Saint Gallen, I felt some weird spark. Especially when I saved you from falling from the thin ice…" That was probably the cheesiest thing to say out of the blue.

It was that night that started it all. That slow moment between us as the jukebox played out the song 'Take On Me'. That's where it all started. I guess that's also the first time that I felt my heart surge again after so long.

"We'll be in your care then, Atra…" I smiled while hugging the two most precious people in my life. The two that made me realize how beautiful and warm this world can be. Now that I think about it…

It's so surreal to feel these emotions bursting outside me. It all started from a small kindle of misunderstanding, but I didn't realize that Atra also felt the same way. Are things really this beautiful?

"What's your favorite thing on earth?" I suddenly remembered the line again from the play and asked Atra while we were walking hand-in-hand with Etsuko.

"Right now?" she asked, I nodded and saw Etsuko looking towards us with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"This small 'family' that I recently become a part of, is that okay?" I was grinning from ear to ear. Blushing and feeling like I was floating from happiness. Etsuko felt the same and buried her head towards me and Atra.

"I love you… Momma… Papa…" she mumbles. It was so ironic. Four years ago I didn't think that I could love again. Here I am, four years later, having a complete family once again.

~ End

* * *

 **A:N/ So for some questions left:**

 **I decided to not include a villain in this story. I felt that a villain wasn't really needed in this type of story since all this was is an elaborate telling of how hard it is moving on in life. Romance isn't always grand or heart-racing, it's about the warmth that you feel towards the people that love you and the people that you love. This chapter is about Sōma finally overcoming his doubts. Last chapter I hinted the possibility of him liking Atra, why is that you say?**

 **It's because I molded Atra's character into being the support that Sōma and Etsuko needed. Sure, she might be a little bit on the Mary-Sue side of things, but I enjoyed thoroughly in the process of developing her character. It was so much fun writing her and coming up with her character design from the get-go.**

 **I will probably do 1 more chapter after this, and that'll be the epilogue of things as I explain things. I know that I left a few plot holes here and there, But I think that I did a pretty good job in ending this story. Did it felt a bit too rushed?**

 **This story was only suppose to end when Sōma and Atra tried the relationship thing. It was vague, I kept it as vague as possible since they're both adults at this point. No heart-racing plane chase or villain confrontation. They're biggest hurdle was overcoming their own circumstances and doubts. I guess that's what really struck to me while making to this story.**

 **Thank you all again so much! See you all in the epilogue of the story!**


	14. Epilogue

**A:N/ This is the last chapter that I promised months ago. I hope that I made a positive impact with my story in this community. I absolutely enjoyed making the story about a year ago. This is farewell for now, and thank you again for being a part of this story's beginning up until it's end.**

* * *

Finally A Home Again

* * *

Sōma woke up to the smell of fresh mocha in the morning. A year had passed since him and Atra started dating. It was only a few months ago when they started living together as a family.

"Hey sleepy head, it's time to get up." Atra's voice cooed from the doorway of their room. Sōma muffled something in his pillow before rolling around in bed, still stubbornly sleeping.

"Sōma, it's time to wake up…" Atra whispered hotly on Sōma's ear. The red-haired chef felt flushed and used his free arm to wrap around Atra's waist. He pulled her close in bend and threw the sheets back over them.

"Just five more minutes…" he mumbled on Atra's shoulder, where his head rests. Atra sighs in content.

"What am I going to do with you…"

"Mama, is Papa awake yet? The mochi's almost done!" Etsuko peeked through the door and saw her two parents sleeping. The little girl pouted and ran towards the two sleeping adults to join them.

"Etsuko…?" Sōma groaned while still half-asleep. Etsuko cupped his face and pouted at him.

"The mocha is done, Papa! We need to eat them before someone does!" she squeaked cutely, throwing a fit at the two of them. Atra giggled at Etsuko and hugged the girl.

"Why are you being so cute again, Etsuko-chan?" Atra nuzzled Etsuko, eliciting fits of giggles from the young girl.

The small family of three got up after a good minute. Sōma stretched out his sore limbs before exiting the cozy room. Atra and Etsuko both waited for Sōma at the doorway, offering both of their hands for Sōma to hold after he was done stretching.

"Let's go?" Atra asked playfully at Sōma, wiping a wad of drool that had still been stuck on Sōma's face.

"Your turn to cook today, huh?" Sōma chuckled enjoying the presence of his wife and daughter with him. The three went downstairs for breakfast with happiness as their greatest blessing. Sōma couldn't be thankful enough. He felt whole. Finally at peace, the small family became a home.

~ End


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